Man Becomes First In England To Be Jailed For Cyberflashing

A paedophile who shared a 15-year-old girl a photo of his genitalia has become the first person in England and Wales to be imprisoned for the crime of cyberflashing.

After sending the girl and another woman unsolicited pictures of his erect p*nis on February 9, Nicholas Hawkes was sentenced to more than a year in prison today.

The 39-year-old from Basildon, Essex, had already been convicted of s*x offences when he sent the photos, according to the CPS.

The woman reported him to Essex Police that same day after taking screenshots of the photo on WhatsApp.

In a previous Southend Magistrates’ Court hearing, Hawkes acknowledged his guilt on two counts of distributing a picture or video of his genitalia to incite fear, anxiety, or humiliation.

Cyber-flashing is the act of sending someone unwanted s*xual images using Bluetooth, Airdrop, dating apps, or social media.

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It was unlawful in Scotland since 2010, and as part of the Online Safety Act, it became a crime on January 31 of this year.

Hawkes was found guilty under the act and given a 66-week prison sentence today at Southend Crown Court.

In addition, he will be bound by a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order in addition to a 10-year restraining order.

Under the S*xual Offences Act, victims of this offence and other image-based abuses are granted lifetime anonymity as soon as they come forward with their reports.

Hawkes was already on the s*x offenders registry until November 2023, having been convicted last year of s*xual activity with a child under the age of 16 and exposure, for which he received a community order.

Hawkes went to Long Riding Surgery in Basildon on May 12 and removed his shirt as soon as he entered the building before totally stripping n@ked.

He then applied hand sanitizer to his genitals and strolled about the foyer for five minutes. He left crossed the street, and contacted a resident before police arrived.

On July 23, he approached a group of young people in Mopsies Park, Basildon, wearing just his trainers and engaged in a ‘s*xual chat’ with the victims, kissing one girl and hugging.

Hawkes blamed his severe cocaine use and PTSD for the episodes, sparing him from going to jail, and he denied having a s*xual attraction to children.

Minister for Technology and the Digital Economy, Saqib Bhatti said: “Cyber-flashing was amongst a host of vile offences we criminalised in January as part of our ground-breaking Online Safety Act to make the UK the safest place to be online.

“Today is a significant milestone and sends a clear message to abusers; the internet will no longer serve as a sanctuary for your sinister crimes.”

Essex Police Detective Chief Inspector James Gray said: “This result proves that we are able to thoroughly investigate all s*xual offences, including those which have only recently been criminalised.

“Hawkes has proven himself to be a dangerous individual and our Crime and Public Protection Team have put hours of work into ensuring he is taken off the streets.

“Perpetrators may think that by offending online, they are less likely to be caught, however, that is not the case. “Cyber-flashing” has a detrimental impact on victims, and we will continue to investigate all reports of this offence.”

Sefer Mani, from CPS East of England, said after his hearing in February: “Cyber-flashing is a grotesque crime and the fact we were able to deliver swift justice for the two victims shows the new law is working.

“Everyone should feel safe wherever they are and not be subjected to receiving unwanted sexual images.

“I urge anyone who feels they have been a victim of cyber-flashing to report it to the police and know that they will be taken seriously and have their identities protected.”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli