Larnaca Criminal Court on Wednesday jailed a 37 year old for three years after finding him guilty of attempting to blackmail a woman by sending nude photos of her to members of her family.
In a written statement, the court said the trial had been held behind closed doors. The defendant, who is from Greece, had pleaded guilty to two other charges of sending threatening messages.
The defendant had threatened to publicise nude photos of a 33 year old woman from the Larmaca district unless she gave him €600.
According to the facts of the case, between August and September 2017, the defendant had, using a fake Facebook profile and with the promise of money, persuaded the woman who had told him she needed cash, to send him nude photos of herself.
But rather than giving her the money, he started demanding €600 which he claimed she owed him, threatening instead that he would sent the nude photos to her family and fellow villagers.
The court said that the defendant had sent threatening messages to the woman’s brother , saying he would be circulating the photos at his place of work, his in-laws and his village.
In the end, the defendant — after a month of threatening messages — sent the photos to her brother, his wife and a friend of hers.
The woman reported the case to the police.
In its decision, the court said the sentence aimed to send a message that social media users had to be protected. It also stressed the importance of protecting the right to privacy and the confidentiality of communication.
“Conversations, correspondent, photographs or other means of communication cannot become a means to extort property or make threats,” it said.
