'Revenge porn' woman Paige Mitchell gets suspended jail term

In a statement read to the court, Paige Mitchell's partner said what had happened left her embarrassed to walk down the street

The first woman to be prosecuted under new "revenge porn" laws has avoided being sent to jail.

Paige Mitchell, 24, from Stevenage posted sexually explicit pictures of her girlfriend on Facebook after a row.

Stevenage Magistrates' Court chairman Bette Hindmarsh said: "Posting the photos on the internet was a highly vindictive invasion of privacy."

Mitchell, of Shepwall Way, was sentenced to six weeks in jail suspended for 18 months.

She was also given a two-week suspended sentence for common assault and told to pay £345 in costs.

Mitchell posted four sexually explicit images of her girlfriend on her own Facebook page after her girlfriend accused her of looking at other women, the court was told.

Restraining order

She pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating, and one of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.

Ms Hindmarsh said: "It was done with the intention of humiliating and hurting your victim."

So-called revenge porn was made a criminal offence under laws introduced in April.

The images were removed after 30 minutes when Mitchell's mother told her it was against the law, the court heard.

Mitchell's counsel Tariq Iqbal, said his client and the victim later reconciled their differences and continued to be in a relationship.

However, Mitchell invited the court to issue her with a restraining order that would force her to split with her girlfriend for good.

In a witness statement, the victim - whose one-year-old child was sleeping during the argument at Mitchell's home on 12 May 12 - said the incident "made me feel embarrassed to walk down the street".