England Has Its First Conviction for Cyberflashing

England's first convicted cyberflasher was sentenced Tuesday to 5 1/2 years in prison. Nicholas Hawkes, 39, a convicted sex offender who sent unsolicited photos of his genitals to a girl and a woman, was the first person in England and Wales convicted of violating the Online Safety Act, per the AP. Hawkes admitted at an earlier hearing that in February he sent a photograph or video of genitals with intent to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation.

The woman who received the photos in February took screenshots and reported him to police. Hawkes was on the sex offenders registry after being convicted last year of exposure and sexual activity with a child under 16. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to breaching both a community order and suspended sentence he'd received for the earlier offense. The cyberflashing law that went into effect on Jan. 31 makes it an offense to send unsolicited sexual images by social media, dating apps, or technologies such as Bluetooth or AirDrop. (US states also have laws against cyberflashing.)