A man from Yellowknife has been given 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 following a court trial. The individual’s identity is being withheld by CBC to protect the victim.
The decision, delivered on July 29 by N.W.T. Territorial Court judge Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass, stated that a community-based sentence was not suitable due to the significant breach of trust, high level of moral responsibility, and retaliatory nature of the offense. In addition to the prison term, the man will undergo 18 months of probation, 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, leading to a relationship that combined both work and romance. While the victim had agreed to record sexual videos, she had expressly stated that any content revealing her face or identifiable tattoos should never be shared. Despite these clear boundaries, the man posted two explicit videos on the X platform in July 2024, just two days after the end of their relationship, with the intention to hurt and embarrass his former partner.
The videos remained online for approximately 46 days before the victim discovered them. One video showed her face entirely, and the second revealed a distinct tattoo on her body. The man initially removed the first video when confronted but only deleted the second after a direct call from the victim.
The court categorized the offense as a form of intimate partner violence, privacy violation, and sexual crime, commonly known as “revenge porn.” Judge Whitecloud-Brass emphasized the severity of the act, pointing out that the videos were posted on a public account with 285 followers, potentially reaching an unlimited audience with the risk of further distribution.
Despite the defense’s argument for a non-custodial sentence with probation due to it being a first offense, the judge deemed a community-based penalty inadequate. The victim expressed the emotional distress caused by the incident, detailing feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. As part of his probation, the convicted man is forbidden from accessing social media platforms, except for personal or business emails, and is prohibited from contacting or approaching the victim.