Shortly after cyberflashing became an offence on 31 January 2024, Nicholas Hawkes became the first person in England and Wales to be convicted of the crime, after sending a series of unsolicited pictures to a 15-year-old girl and a woman.

Cyberflashing became an offence in the UK this year as part of the new Online Safety Act, which places more responsibility on tech companies to remove illegal content, such aslike terrorism and revenge pornography.

The pictures Hawkes sent contained his erect penis. Upon receiving them, the unnamed woman took screenshots of the image on WhatsApp and reported Hawkes to Essex Police the same day.

The Crown Protection Service stated that Hawkes admitted at Southend Magistrates’ Court to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation, as reported by The Independent.

Hawkes was convicted at a hearing on Monday 12 February and was remanded in custody to be sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on 11 March.

Cyberflashing involves sending sexual images to strangers online, usually through social media or dating apps. However, data-sharing services such as Bluetooth and AirDrop have given abusers further means to disseminate unsolicited pictures to the public. In some instances, a preview of the photo can appear on a person’s device—meaning that even if the transfer is rejected victims are forced into seeing the offensive image.

“Cyberflashing 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 cyberflashing to report it to the police and know that they will be taken seriously and have their identities protected,” Sefer Mani, from CPS East of England stated.

Online sexual harassment and abuse is an ongoing issue in the UK. In January, UK police investigated a case involving a 16-year-old girl who was reportedly raped in the metaverse.

Hawkes was already registered as a sex offender after he was convicted and given a community order for sexual activity with a child under 16 years old and exposure. He will be a registered offender until November 2033.