Boy 14, added to police debate after sexting female classmate naked image on snapchat

1. Boy 14, added to police
debate after sexting female
classmate a naked image on
Snapchat
Done by Eman Shah

2. A boy who sent a naked photograph of himself to a girl at school has had
the crime of making and distributing indecent images recorded against
him by police. The boy is aged 14, who was not arrested or charged, could
have his name stored on a police database for 10 years.
The police have said that the boy’s file will remain active for at least 10
years after he sent it to a class mate who had shared it with others.
The boy whose identity can not be revealed has said he sent ‘the image
by using Snapchat from his bedroom where flirting with the girl.’
Although he was not arrested or charged with crime he has been told
that the file will remain active for a minimum of years. So this means that
the information could also be disclosed to future employers.

3. In a recent interview the boy has said that he was and still is very
‘embarrassed’ and ‘intimidated’ by the incident and now spends
lunchtimes sitting alone in his school library to avoid being teased by
his classmates who have seen the naked image of him.
A BBC Radio reported on the ‘today programme’ that had it been
formally accused of a crime, he would have been granted all the usual
protections guaranteed by the law. Instead when he was questioned
about the incident at his school with a police officer present, his
parents were not informed and also there was no one defending the
teenager. Police had later stated that it was not necessary to inform his
parents beforehand.

4. As well as having basic defence rights in this way, the boy doubtly
suffered because of his young age. The disturbing incident of an image
of a person who is under 18 is illegal even if they are of yourself. The
incident happened on Snapchat which allows users to send messages
and photos that vanish after just seconds, but that does not stop
people taking a screen shot of the image.
This incident highlights the UK’s societies of contributing moral panic
about young people exploring their sexuality in various ways, and how
ill-thought-out laws brought in because ‘something must be done’. This
matter can end up harming young people.