Securing the safety of women and girls has been a major priority for me since being elected as Cheltenham’s MP in 2015. I began my campaign in that year when I was approached by a Cheltenham GP, Ellie Aston, who was the victim of stalking by an obsessed ex-patient. With the support of Cheltonians and Nick Gazzard we were able to strengthen the law to put perpetrators behind bars and keep victims safe.
And so I was delighted this week to announce new measures as Lord Chancellor that mean abusers, predators and bitter ex-partners who share intimate images online without the victim’s consent will face prosecution – and potentially even prison.
Amendments to the Online Safety Bill will overhaul ‘revenge porn’ laws so that the prosecution will no longer need to prove that perpetrators shared intimate images for sexual gratification or to cause distress. Instead, the central question will simply be whether the victim consented. If he or she didn’t, the offence is likely proved.
These changes have been backed by Georgia Harrison, the ex-Love Island contestant who suffered the humiliation of seeing private images splashed over the internet by her ex-partner. I met her in the Ministry of Justice to hear her story and thank her for her campaign.
As so often, prevention is better than cure. She and I hope these measures will make people think twice before acting in a way that can cause such degradation and humiliation. It’s about bringing about a change of culture.
There’s more to do. On top of the Domestic Abuse Bill, which I took through Parliament during the pandemic, I’m leading on the Victims and Prisoners Bill which will boost victims entitlements under the Victims Code. And in the House of Commons today (Tuesday) I was able to confirm that we will legislate to require offenders to attend court to hear their sentence.
Those that rob innocence, betray trust and shatter lives should be in court to face the consequences of their actions and hear society’s condemnation, expressed through the sentencing remarks of the judge.
It’s no more than victims of crime and their families deserve.
[Column published in the Cheltenham Post]
[You can watch a video of Alex's meeting with Georgia Harrison by clicking HERE and HERE]