Man who posted sexual images of ex-partner escapes going to jail - as judge suspends it

A man who posted sexual images of an ex-partner on an adult website was handed a five month prison sentence today (mon) but escaped going to jail as the judge suspended it.
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Sentencing 41-year-old Michael McDowell at Newry Mahistrates Court, District Judge Eamon King revealed how his victim felt like the 41-year-old had "destroyed" her life.

At an earlier hearing McDowell, of Tonagh Park in Lisburn and who appeared by videolink from his solicitors office, confessed to two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs of the woman in order to cause stress or annoyance.

A producing lawyer told the court that on October 14, 2018, the injured party contacted police after being informed that private sexual photographs of herself had appeared on an adult pornography website.

She told police the images had been taken by her ex-partner – the defendant – with whom she had been in a relationship from 2010 to 2014 but that she had not given consent for these to be displayed online.

Officers interviewed McDowell but he refused to answer police questions.

Describing the offences as “an act of drunken stupidity, defence barrister Mark O'Hare claimed “there is no bad blood between the two parties.”

"I have stressed the seriousness of the offences to him...however, these offences are more than four years old; he has nothing in his record in relation to acts of domestic violence....he has a single entry on his record from 2016 for disorderly behaviour."

Mr O'Hare commented that his client had his "own crosses to bear", having previously had addiction issues in relation to drugs and alcohol.

Sentencing McDowell, DJ King revealed that in the victim impact statement, she described that “I now feel like he has destroyed my life, I don't know what else to say.”

"She indicates a committed relationship in which both parties were open with one another..she believed she was speaking with someone she could trust,” said the judge adding that McDowell had given a “textbook response” when asked for an explanation - “was drunk, I don't remember doing it” and had shown little appreciation of the impact his actions have had.

McDowell was sentenced to five months in prison suspended for a period of three years.