A man from Yellowknife has received a 12-month jail term for sharing explicit videos of his ex-partner on social media without her consent. The 36-year-old was found guilty of distributing intimate images without permission after a trial. The offender’s identity is being withheld to protect the victim’s anonymity.
In a written ruling on July 29, N.W.T. Territorial Court judge Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass decided that a community-based sentence was inadequate due to the significant breach of trust, high moral culpability, and vengeful nature of the crime. Along with the jail time, the man will also have to serve 18 months of probation, complete 60 hours of community service, provide a DNA sample, and attend mandatory counseling.
The court documents revealed that the man and the victim met on a dating app in May 2023 and their relationship developed into both a professional and romantic partnership. Although the victim had agreed to record videos of their intimate moments, she had made it clear that any content revealing her face or identifiable tattoos should never be shared publicly.
Despite these boundaries, the man uploaded two explicit videos to his public account on the X platform in July 2024, shortly after the breakup. It was determined that his intention was to get back at his ex-partner by causing her harm and embarrassment. The videos remained online for about 46 days before the victim discovered them, one of which exposed her face entirely, while the other showed a distinct tattoo on her body.
When confronted, the man took down one video but refused to remove the other until the victim contacted him directly. The court classified this act, commonly known as “revenge porn,” as a form of intimate partner violence, privacy violation, and sexual offense.
Judge Whitecloud-Brass emphasized the severity of the situation by stating that posting the videos on an account with 285 followers meant the potential reach was vast, with no way to ascertain if others had downloaded or shared the footage. Despite it being his first offense, the judge rejected the defense’s request for a non-custodial sentence and probation, deeming a community-based punishment inadequate.
The victim provided a statement outlining the emotional distress caused by the incident, citing feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. As part of his probation terms, the convicted individual is banned from using social media platforms except for personal or business email, and is prohibited from contacting or approaching the victim.