Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice, Martin Kenny TD, has expressed his party’s support for the Harassment, Harmful Communication and Related Offences Bill 2017 and his intention to propose amendments at Committee Stage to strengthen its remit regarding so-called “revenge porn”.

The Sligo-Leitrim TD has described reports of thousands of intimate images being circulated online, without the consent of those photographed, as a “disgusting crime” and “a huge violation of privacy”.

Teachta Kenny said:

“The Harassment, Harmful Communication and Related Offences Bill 2017 is a good piece of legislation, but having consulted with victims’ groups, we feel that the section on revealing of sexually explicit images or videos of a person posted on the internet, without their consent, needs strengthening.

“In light of this, we are proposing an amendment which will strengthen the definition of consent and make being reckless in getting consent illegal too.

“We are aware that a recent wave of hacking has distributed or transmitted thousands of intimate images of Irish people without their consent and that this has caused untold damage and distress to them.

“This is a disgusting crime, often perpetrated against younger people who are ill-equipped to deal with it and who suffer greatly as a result.

“We are also proposing that the sending of unsolicited images of an intimate nature will be made illegal.

“The Bill will come to Committee Stage early next month, and Sinn Féin will support its passage and encourage that it be put into force as soon as possible.”