Woman who posed as a man on Grindr is jailed for 12 months

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Yannick GlaudinImage source, CPS
Image caption,

Yannick Glaudin who posed as a man made the lives of two gay men she met via a dating app "hell"

A woman who posed as a man on a gay dating app has been jailed for sending naked photos of a man to his family.

Yannick Glaudin, 30, admitted in July to disclosing private sexual photos and stalking as part of her "disturbing campaign of harassment".

She set up fake accounts to cause distress to the victim, whom she never met, and his new boyfriend after he ended their online relationship.

The victim called it off after she kept making excuses to meet in person.

Prosecutor John McNamara told Inner London Crown Court that in May 2017 Glaudin, using the pseudonym Steven St Pier, met her male victim over the Grindr app.

The pair exchanged phone numbers, email addresses and even the victim's CV as he was job-hunting.

"During the period of contact, (the victim) sent to the defendant a number of intimate and personal pictures and videos," Mr McNamara said.

But the victim had doubts over Glaudin's true identity and ended their online-only contact in December 2017.

This triggered months of harassment by Glaudin, beginning with her sending the sexual images to the victim's stepfather and his friends.

'Hell on earth'

Glaudin escalated the harassment from February 2018 when her victim started a new relationship with another man.

The court was told she contacted police and Crimestoppers on multiple occasions making false claims of assault and paedophilia.

She also gave the victims' home address to young men under false pretences so they would show up looking for casual sex.

Speaking in court, the former boyfriend said the harassment had been "hell on earth".

Sentencing, Judge Reid questioned why Glaudin had not faced more serious charges than those put by the prosecution.

"It's difficult to understand why you did what you did other than that during the period of your offending you were consumed by jealousy and a desire for revenge," he told Glaudin.

Glaudin, from Mile End, London, was sentenced to 12 months for a charge of disclosing private sexual photos and films with intent to cause distress, four months for harassment without violence and four months for one of stalking without fear, alarm or distress.

A further one month sentence for breaching bail to be served consecutively.

She was also subject to a lifelong restraining order.

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