In tonight’s episode of Emmerdale (Wednesday, July 19), Mary went to the police about Faye and her blackmailing.
After Faye’s arrest, she somehow leaked Mary’s private photo to everybody on her contact list.
But, what happens now in the eyes on the law? Will Faye go to prison?
Emmerdale: Faye leaked Mary’s private photo
Tonight, an upset Mary found out that Marlon knew about Faye’s blackmailing.
Rhona then offered to take Mary to the police station and wait for her whilst she changed her statement.
Mary then went to the station and proceeded to meet up with Faye as she requested.
She then told her that she’d withdrawn her statement. In exchange, Faye showed Mary that she had deleted the private photo of her from her phone.
It turned out that Mary had instead informed the police about Faye’s blackmailing. She had recorded their exchange that exposed her.
The police then arrested Faye leaving Mary and Rhona to go to the pub to celebrate Faye’s demise.
However, as Mary poured herself a drink, everyone’s phone started to ping. Faye had somehow still managed to leak the private photo of her.
Feeling humiliated, Mary rushed off discovering that April had also seen the photo.
Would Faye go to prison for leaking Mary’s photo?
Mary managed to record the conversation in which Faye revealed her intention of sharing her private photo.
However, she may not necessarily go to prison for leaking the photo despite this evidence. In reality, ‘revenge porn’ or ‘disclosing private sexual photographs or films’ is fairly new. Currently, there are few convictions.
If found guilty, Faye could face serving a couple of years in prison. Or, she could face a fine.
The law around ‘image-based abuse’
Speaking about Faye’s potential punishment, Ruby Ashby, senior associate and solicitor at leading East Midlands law firm Nelsons told us: “The term ‘revenge porn’ is now a widely understood term, describing the act of someone uploading sexually explicit images of an individual to the internet, without their consent. Such conduct can lead to criminal prosecution but also a claim in damages in the civil Courts.
“Faye could face a voyeurism conviction for her actions, with sentencing ranging from a fine to up to two years in prison.”
Speaking to Entertainment Daily, Sandra Paul, Partner at Kingsley Napley LLP also added: “In this case, the image has been shared and, so long as it is proved that Faye did this, she is in a lot of trouble. There might be several defences available including that the image was shared without the intent to cause distress, though it would not seem runnable in Faye’s case.
“What Faye has done may also amount to perverting the course of justice, interference with a prosecution witness and blackmail. As I say, Faye is in some difficulty, and it is the kind of situation where the court would consider a custodial sentence – although perhaps not the maximum two years.”
As for Mary’s entitlement, Ruby Ashby added: “…there would be the potential for her to pursue a claim for damages in the civil Courts. The Court would need to thoroughly analyse the position and assess the level of damages to be awarded.”
Read more: Complete Emmerdale cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Emmerdale usually airs on weekdays at 7.30pm, with an hour long episode on Thursdays.
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