A man in Yellowknife has received a 12-month jail term for sharing explicit videos of his ex-partner on social media without her permission. The 36-year-old was found guilty of distributing intimate images without consent after a trial. The offender’s identity is being withheld to protect the victim’s privacy.
In a judgment issued on July 29 by N.W.T. Territorial Court judge Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass, it was determined that a community-based sentence was not suitable due to the serious breach of trust, significant moral culpability, and retaliatory nature of the offense. In addition to the jail time, the man will have 18 months of probation, complete 60 hours of community service, provide a DNA sample, and undergo mandatory counseling.
The court heard that the man and the victim met on a dating app in May 2023 and developed a working and romantic relationship. Despite the victim’s clear instructions that no videos showing her face or identifiable tattoos should be shared, the man uploaded two explicit videos to his public account on X platform in July 2024 shortly after the breakup. The motive behind this act was deemed retaliatory, intending to harm and embarrass his former partner.
The videos, which were online for 46 days before being discovered by the victim, showed her face in one and a distinctive tattoo on her body in the other. The man initially removed one video upon confrontation but only deleted the second after direct contact from the victim.
The court classified the offense as a form of intimate partner violence, privacy violation, and sexual crime, commonly known as “revenge porn.” Judge Whitecloud-Brass emphasized the severity of the incident, especially considering the potential infinite distribution due to the videos being shared on an open account with numerous followers.
Despite being a first-time offender, the defense requested a non-custodial sentence with probation, which was ultimately rejected by the judge. The victim expressed the emotional distress caused by the incident in a statement, highlighting feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, and insomnia. As part of his probation terms, the man is restricted from accessing social media platforms, except for personal or business email, and is prohibited from contacting or approaching the victim.
