Howlin says people found guilty of revenge porn should be added to sex offenders register

Labour party leader Brendan Howlin has said those found guilty of revenge porn should be added to a sex offenders register.

Speaking at Leinster House to reporters, he said the bill will involve a criminal conviction which could see people jailed for up to seven years, which he described as a significant deterrent.

“It is something we have to consider. It wasn't a recommendation of the Law Reform Commission, but we should consider it. Some of the cases that have come to my attention reach the criteria of a sexual assualt, there is no doubt about it," he said.

The people who engage in this are sexual offenders and would rightly be put on a list of offenders. The fear of that would also be a deterrent.

Mr Howlin who drafted the proposed legislation based on the 2016 report of the Law Reform Commission (LRC), said that the current law is “ancient” and needs to be updated to reflect the reality of people’s live nowadays.

“It is something that has caused enormous harm, has led to suicide. Yet the law is decades behind the times on this,” he said.

“These are not small matters. There’s a huge well of hurt going on online, some people have even been driven towards suicide.”

Mr Howlin said he aslo wants to see the Government establish a digital safety commissioner, which he said was called for by the LRC.