Mother and son avoid jail after sharing explicit revenge porn photos of ex-girlfriend

A 23-year-old man sent explicit photographs and a video of his ex-girlfriend to his mother, who then sent them to the victim's father.

Matthew Cooper-Collyer, of Monkton Green, Monkton Deverill, Wiltshire, has been convicted of threatening to disclose private sexual photographs with the intent of causing distress.

Lynda Collyer, 41 and of the same address, had already pleaded guilty to the same charge, as well as two counts of sending electronic communication to cause distress or anxiety to the victim's parents.

Prosecutor Helen Easterbrook told Winchester Crown Court the defendant had recently split up with his girlfriend when his mother suggested in a Facebook conversation that he send the images to her, which he agreed to do.

Collyer, a carer for the elderly with Alzheimer's, also posted "happy birthday" followed by the victim's initials and said she would post the images so people could "see it all".

Ms Easterbrook said Collyer wrote she would "give her drama like she loves" and, referring to the images, added: "Love them, perfect shots, you should have been a photographer."

Cooper-Collyer shared two intimate photographs and a video with his mother, who then sent them to the victim's father - on the day before her birthday - to "distress" her, Ms Easterbrook said.

Cooper-Collyer told his trial his mother wanted to send the pictures because she said the victim was going to "ruin" his life by making false accusations against him.

Collyer also sent messages threatening to disclose the images to the ex-girlfriend's mother and had shown no remorse, the court heard.

Mother and son were sentenced to six months in custody, suspended for 18 months, and given restraining orders banning them from contacting their victim or her parents.

Judge Gordon Bebb KC told them: "In the aftermath of that break-up there was acrimony. I have no doubt when you committed these offences you were both motivated by revenge and the wish to case distress to the victim."

Rhianna Fricker, defending Collyer, said her client regrets her actions, which she said were carried out as a "protective" mother.

She said Collyer, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016, was "incredibly worried" after her victim made allegations against her son after also making claims against three ex-boyfriends.

Ms Fricker said: "It's not a simple case of not feeling remorse. If she could go back, with hindsight being 20/20, she wouldn't have acted in the way she did.

"She is a mother of three children. She is a very protective mother. Her main focus in sending those messages was she was worried that these proceedings (against her son) were going to go further and land him in a lot of trouble when she - his mother - felt he hadn't done anything wrong."

She said the allegations against Cooper-Collyer were no longer being acted on.

Ms Fricker said Collyer's actions were "completely out of character".

Andrew Stone, representing Cooper-Collyer, said his client had been dominated by his mother and found it difficult to say no to her.