Man Uses Fake Identity to Send Disturbing Images to Former Classmate
A Newport man harassed a woman online with explicit images using a fake account
Newport, Wales, Cyber-Flashing, Harassment, Luke Nasser
Newport: A woman was left feeling unsafe after a man, hiding behind a fake Facebook account, sent her explicit images. This went on for months, and it turned out to be someone she hadn’t seen since school.
Luke Nasser, 31, used the alias Jon Jones II to send these offensive pictures. The court heard that it became a regular occurrence for the victim, who described it as alarming and distressing.
She would get notifications for message requests from the fake account, which seemed to be for selling clothes. But instead of clothes, she’d see a man’s genitals flash up before they were quickly deleted. Eventually, Nasser left one image up and asked her if she had received any messages.
Even though she didn’t know who was behind the messages, she noticed they had mutual friends from their old school, which helped the police track him down. When she found out it was Nasser, she wasn’t shocked but felt uneasy about running into him in Newport.
She shared how the constant harassment made her feel anxious. Not knowing who was sending the images made her worry about her safety. She started to think about whether she was safe walking alone, especially in secluded areas.
It got so bad that she considered deleting her social media, which she didn’t want to do since it was her way to connect with friends. But she knew she needed evidence for the police, so she held on to it.
After a long wait, Nasser was finally sentenced this month, over two years after his actions. He pleaded guilty to malicious communications but wasn’t charged under the new cyber-flashing law, which only came into effect in January 2024. He was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and pay the victim £300 in compensation.
The new law carries a maximum sentence of two years for cyber-flashing. A recent case saw a man jailed for sending unsolicited images to a minor and an adult, highlighting the seriousness of this issue.
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