Coast man threatens teen over topless photo

revenge porn

On 6 August 2021 an article was published titled, ‘Kyle Andrew Drenkhan: Gold Coast man pleads guilty after threatening teenager with topless photo’. The article described how a 25-year-old male engaged with a teenage girl on Facebook and after some arguing, the male sent a photo to the teenage girl; it was a photo of herself, topless, which had been taken when she was 14 years old. The girl stated that she had never sent this image to Mr Drenkhan.

According to the article, Mr Drenkhan sent the girl the photograph and threatened to release it on social media; she pleaded with him not to post it and even warned him that it was classed as child pornography due to her age at the time it was taken. Mr Drenkhan said, “that’s not how the internet works” and when the girl threatened to go to police, Mr Drenkhan said, “you know what happens to dogs.” Eventually he did post a collage of her photographs with a derogatory caption, meaning her explicit images were on social media for all to see.

This news made headlines and shocked many readers this month, but sadly it is something we see all too often at Internet Removals.

Sharing Intimate Images & explicit content without consent

Sharing Intimate Images

‘Revenge porn’, or the sharing or distributing of someone else’s explicit content without their consent, is a terrible and growing problem worldwide. Today’s world is full of platforms where people may share personal information about themselves. There are now more social media platforms than ever, and it is easy to connect with people all around the world through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, online dating applications, online games and open forum channels.

You may think that you would never be the victim of revenge porn, but sadly it is not uncommon to see a previous partner release explicit content shared during a relationship, or hackers gaining access to private content and distributing it online. There are also an alarming number of children and teenagers reporting online contact from strangers, including many reporting that such conversations have involved the sharing of explicit material.

Statistics reveal trends in revenge porn issue

revenge porn issue

At Internet Removals, we are engaged by a high number of clients to deal with revenge porn issues, however the percentage that are affected and do not make contact is likely much higher. The following statistics may surprise you:

  • On average, three people from the ages of 16-64 have been a victim of abuse relating to an image, and most don’t contact police for assistance;
  • Between 2016-2019, 170 cases of revenge porn went to court in Victoria;
  • 40% of victims of revenge porn suffer mental health and poor self-esteem;
  • 32% of victims fear for their safety;
  • 55% of victims are humiliated.[1]

It is important that adults educate their children about the dangers of distributing explicit material. Once a person’s images are posted online, they can essentially be distributed to an unknown amount of people and other sites. Internet Removals specialises in assisting with the identification and removal of this content as well as online reputation management, which is often crucial after a person’s reputation has been damaged by the sensitive material.

Fortunately, the laws are strengthening to support victims of revenge porn, and courts are showing that they are willing to hand down sentences to deter the behaviour. Mr Drenkhan plead guilty to the charges of possessing child exploitation material and threats to release intimate images; he was sentenced to 18 months of probation and 40 hours of community service.

[1] Matilda Boseley, ‘Revenge porn in Australia: the law is only as effective as the law enforcement’ (The Guardian, 2020).

Now you can protect yourself

You may not even be aware of any images and videos circulating online that may relate to you. If you think you have been a victim of revenge porn, or if you would like us to assess your online reputation and help with identifying any content, you can contact us at Internet Removals to discuss your concerns.

We may be able to assist you with:

  • Identifying revenge porn or sexually explicit content on a variety of online platforms;
  • Removal of online revenge porn or sexually explicit content;
  • Online Reputation Management.

We can be contacted by either phoning 1300 039 196 or sending an email to  [email protected].

Disclaimer: There is no obligation in contacting Internet Removals for advice relating to online defamatory content and our services with removal. Internet Removals is not providing any legal advice. If legal advice is recommended or required, Internet Removals can refer you to IRG Law Pty Ltd. You should not rely upon the contents of this newsletter for any litigation, decision to litigate or decision to publish material online.

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