Man who sent revenge porn to ex-girlfriend's mum spared jail

8 October 2019, 16:49

A dumped boyfriend has avoided jail time after sending revenge porn videos of his ex-partner to her mother.

Steven Balmont, 21, was said to have become "besotted" with his girlfriend, who is in her thirties, and "took it hard" when the pair split up after more than two years together.

Balmont, from Grangetown, Cardiff, sent two videos of him and the woman having sex to her mother and two of her mother's friends over Facebook Messenger in August.

In the trial at Cardiff Crown Court, he was sentenced to 30 weeks in prison suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete a rehabilitation activity, 150 hours' unpaid work, and was given a three-year restraining order against his victim.

Prosecutor Kathryn Lane said it had left the mother "depressed" and requiring medication.

Balmont previously pleaded guilty to disclosing a private sexual photograph or film without consent with the intention of causing distress at Cardiff Magistrates' Court.

Jonathan Lewis, defending, said Balmont accepted the "distress" he had caused, and said a pre-sentence report noted his "significant level of immaturity".

Judge Rhys Rowlands called Balmont's claim he had not set out to harm his ex "ridiculous nonsense".

The judge said: "The behaviour sometimes referred to as revenge porn causes a great deal of concern.

"To send those sorts of videos to a woman of that age is absolutely vile and disgusting.

"You did so to upset the victim and to upset her mother."