Teen girls were 'humiliated' after sexually explicit photos were shared, says the victim of 6 young men who attended a Nova Scotia school will be sentenced in July.
One of the victims in the Bridgewater intimate photo-sharing case says having such a photo shared without consent can destroy trust and affect self-esteem.
One of the victims in the Bridgewater intimate photo-sharing case says having such a photo shared without consent can destroy trust and affect self-esteem. (Summer Skyes photography/Flickr)
Angela MacIvor is CBC Nova Scotia's investigative reporter. She has been with CBC for 10 years, as a reporter and producer in all three Maritime provinces. All news tips welcome. Send an email to cbcnsinvestigates@cbc.ca
5 teens guilty of sharing intimate images in Bridgewater Dropbox case
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When she sent selfies of her partially naked body, she thought only her boyfriend would see the images.
The teenager never imagined one of the sexually explicit photos would end up being shared with five other boys in a Dropbox account.
"Basically [he] threatened to break up with me if I didn't send him pictures. I was young and naive and just sent them, and then that's what he did with it," she said. "I just think he's a pig."
The young woman is among about 20 other victims, who cannot be identified because of a publication ban. The identities of the six young men who pleaded guilty to sharing intimate images without consent are also protected under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act. The sixth officially entered a guilty plea on April 12.
5 teens guilty of sharing intimate images in Bridgewater Dropbox case
The case was back in Bridgewater, N.S., provincial court today — but was adjourned until May 9 — to allow defence lawyers more time to review a joint statement of facts. Sentencing is scheduled for July 31.
The young men, who range in age from 15 to 19 years old, were all youths at the time of the offences in 2015. They all attended Bridgewater Junior/Senior High School.
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The young woman says her relationship didn't last, but the implications of those images continue to haunt her.
"I definitely wouldn't want this to happen to any other teen girl in high school because I know the impact that it can have," she said.
"Other girls will judge them, make them feel bad about themselves, make them feel like a slut for sending the picture, for trusting the person. It hurts self-esteem and it makes it hard for people to trust each other."
Some of the girls were as young as 13 years old when their pictures were shared.
"They made a lot of girls feel self-conscious or bad about themselves and lose their self-esteem and trust, and they can never get that back. What those guys did was very disrespectful. No matter the age, they should know what they did was wrong," said the young woman.
Bridgewater Provincial Court
The photo-sharing case will be back in Bridgewater provincial court today, when lawyers are expected to file the agreed statement of facts. (Brett Ruskin/CBC)
The boys have agreed to attend educational training, similar to restorative justice. The Crown has said it's waiting to see whether the teenagers show remorse before a sentence is recommended.
The young woman who spoke to CBC News says she doesn't believe "this abuse should be taken lightly."
The six teenagers also faced charges of possession and distribution of child pornography, but those charges were dropped last month.
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