Intimate Image Abuse & Revenge Porn Solicitors in London

The sharing or threatened sharing of intimate images without consent can cause severe personal, professional and reputational harm. Nath Solicitors is a boutique London law firm advising individuals and professionals facing intimate image abuse, threats involving private sexual material, AI-generated intimate images and related privacy or reputation disputes.

If private images have been shared, publication is being threatened or manipulated sexual material has been created about you, call 020 3983 8278 or complete our online contact form to discuss the civil legal options available.

The expression “revenge porn” is still widely used, but intimate image abuse is a broader and more accurate description. A former partner does not need to be involved and revenge does not need to be the motive.

Cases can involve private photographs or videos, threats to send material to an employer or family member, sexually explicit deepfakes, coercive demands, anonymous accounts and publication across social media, messaging services or adult websites.

Nath Solicitors focuses on civil privacy, reputation and related legal remedies. We do not conduct criminal prosecutions or provide criminal defence representation. Where a criminal offence or immediate safety concern may be involved, police assistance may also be appropriate.

What is intimate image abuse?

Intimate image abuse can take several forms.

It may involve:

• sharing intimate photographs or videos without consent;
• threatening to publish or distribute private sexual material;
• sending images to family members, employers, colleagues or professional contacts;
• posting material on social media, forums or adult websites;
• distributing images through private groups or messaging applications;
• using intimate material to pressure someone into paying money or meeting another demand;
• creating fake or manipulated sexual images;
• generating explicit deepfakes using AI;
• impersonation accounts distributing sexual material; or
• repeated publication forming part of a wider harassment or reputation campaign.

The legal response will depend on what has happened, whether publication has already taken place, who is responsible and what outcome the affected person needs.

What will an intimate image abuse solicitor assess?

Civil claims involving intimate images can involve several overlapping areas of law.

Depending on the circumstances, we may consider:

• whether genuine or manipulated intimate material exists;
• whether it has already been published or publication is only threatened;
• how the material was originally obtained or created;
• whether there was consent to creation, possession or publication;
• who has received or may receive the material;
• whether further copies or reposts exist;
• the identity of the publisher or person making the threat;
• whether an anonymous or false account is involved;
• whether private or confidential information has also been disclosed;
• whether repeated conduct may amount to harassment;
• whether false allegations or manipulated material raise defamation issues;
• whether threats or demands may indicate potential criminal conduct;
• whether urgent removal or injunctive relief should be considered; and
• the practical outcome the client needs to achieve.

The appropriate strategy may be different where publication is threatened but has not yet occurred. Where material is already circulating, evidence preservation and limiting further distribution may become the immediate priorities.

Is sharing an intimate image without consent a criminal offence?

Potentially.

Section 66B of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 contains offences relating to sharing or threatening to share intimate photographs or films without consent in specified circumstances.

The statutory framework includes intentional sharing without consent and without a reasonable belief in consent, together with further offences involving particular intentions, including causing alarm, distress or humiliation or obtaining sexual gratification.

Threatening to share intimate material can also constitute an offence where the statutory requirements are satisfied.

Whether particular conduct amounts to a criminal offence depends on the facts and legal test.

A criminal investigation and a civil claim are separate processes. The police and Crown Prosecution Service deal with criminal investigation and prosecution. Nath Solicitors advises on the connected civil privacy, reputation and related remedies.

Where someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Non-emergency matters can be reported to the police on 101 or through the appropriate online reporting service.

AI-generated intimate images and sexual deepfakes

The law has developed rapidly in response to manipulated and AI-generated sexual content.

Sections 66E and 66F of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 create offences relating respectively to creating, or requesting the creation of, certain purported intimate images of adults without consent or a reasonable belief in consent.

These provisions were introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and came into force in February 2026.

A purported intimate image can include an image that appears to show a real adult in an intimate state but is not, or is not only, an authentic photograph or film of that person.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduced further measures. These include section 66I of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, addressing the making or supplying of purported intimate-image generators in the circumstances covered by that provision.

From a civil perspective, fake intimate images may also raise:

• misuse of private information;
• harassment;
• data protection issues;
• reputational harm; and
• defamation where manipulated material or accompanying statements convey a false and damaging meaning.

The fact that an image is synthetic rather than an authentic photograph does not mean there are no legal options.

What civil legal action may be available?

Criminal law is only one part of the legal framework.

Civil remedies may be available where intimate material has been disclosed, threatened with publication or used as part of a wider course of conduct.

Depending on the circumstances, the legal issues may include:

Misuse of private information

Intimate and sexual information can attract a strong expectation of privacy.

Unauthorised disclosure may therefore give rise to a misuse of private information claim, depending on the circumstances.

Breach of confidence

Where private material was obtained or shared in circumstances importing an obligation of confidence, breach of confidence may also need to be considered.

Harassment

Repeated publication, threats, unwanted contact or communications to employers, relatives or professional contacts may form part of a wider course of conduct requiring assessment under harassment law.

Data protection

The obtaining, use or publication of personal data may raise data protection issues in appropriate circumstances.

Defamation

An intimate image is not automatically defamatory.

Defamation may become relevant where false allegations accompany the material, its context has been fabricated or manipulated content conveys a false and damaging meaning.

Injunctions and damages

Urgent court relief may be considered where there is a proper legal basis to restrain threatened or continuing publication.

Damages may also be available where the requirements of the relevant civil claim are established.

For wider privacy and reputation disputes, see our Defamation, Reputation Management and Privacy page.

Can an intimate image be removed from the internet?

Potentially, although there is no single removal process applying to every website, platform or service.

Possible steps can include:

• reporting the material through platform procedures;
• requesting removal from a website operator;
• contacting the person responsible where appropriate;
• sending urgent legal correspondence;
• seeking undertakings against further publication;
• addressing copies and reposts;
• asking search services to address qualifying material; and
• seeking court relief where the relevant legal test is met.

The online-safety framework has strengthened substantially.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduced provisions requiring regulated user-to-user and search services to operate proportionate systems and processes designed to address qualifying intimate-image content reports as soon as reasonably practicable and, subject to the statutory conditions, within 48 hours.

The statutory framework contains requirements governing what qualifies as an intimate-image content report, and the 48-hour provisions should not be understood as an unconditional guarantee that every report will automatically result in removal.

Ofcom has also strengthened its Illegal Content Codes with measures addressing the detection and spread of illegal non-consensual intimate imagery, including hash-matching measures for relevant services.

Removal of one copy may not remove screenshots, reposts or material hosted elsewhere. A broader assessment of continuing publication can therefore be necessary.

What should you do if someone threatens to share intimate images?

1. Preserve the threat

Save the messages, emails, usernames, account details, URLs, dates and times connected with the threat.

Keep evidence of any demand for money, contact, a meeting or another action.

Preserve the complete conversation where possible rather than relying only on isolated screenshots.

2. Avoid creating unnecessary copies of intimate material

You do not need to distribute intimate material widely in order to establish that it exists.

Preserve relevant URLs, account information, messages and other evidence surrounding the publication or threat. Take advice before forwarding the intimate image itself.

If the person shown is, or may have been, under 18 when the image was created, do not unnecessarily download, copy or forward sexual imagery. Obtain guidance from the police, Childline, the Internet Watch Foundation or another appropriate specialist service about safe reporting.

3. Record where the material has appeared

Keep a record of every website, account, group or service where the material has been posted.

Preserve:

• direct URLs;
• usernames and profile information;
• dates and times;
• relevant comments;
• visible shares or reposts; and
• any information showing who received the material.

4. Preserve demands or coercive messages

Threats involving intimate material can sometimes form part of blackmail, sextortion, harassment or another criminal offence.

Keep the complete communication and preserve originals where possible.

Our page on Blackmail, Stalking and Harassment Linked to Defamation explains the related civil reputation issues where threatening conduct forms part of a wider reputation dispute.

5. Avoid escalating the situation unnecessarily

A public confrontation can sometimes result in further distribution or additional damaging material.

Preserve the evidence first and consider whether direct contact, platform reporting, legal correspondence or another response is most appropriate.

6. Consider urgent legal and platform action

Where publication has not yet occurred, different options may exist from those available after material has circulated widely.

Our Pre-Publication and Post-Publication Defamation page explains how timing can affect reputation strategy.

7. Contact the police where criminal conduct or safety concerns arise

Call 999 where someone is in immediate danger or a serious offence is in progress.

For non-emergency police reports or enquiries, use 101 or the relevant online reporting service.

Civil legal advice does not replace appropriate police involvement where criminal conduct may have occurred.

Intimate image abuse and harassment

Some cases involve a continuing pattern rather than one act of publication.

A person may:

• create new accounts;
• repeatedly send or repost material;
• contact employers or relatives;
• threaten further disclosure;
• monitor online activity;
• impersonate the affected person; or
• encourage others to participate.

This conduct may raise harassment or other legal issues alongside privacy claims.

Nath Solicitors advises on Online Harassment where the conduct is connected with a substantive reputation dispute.

Where an unidentified or false account is responsible, our Anonymous Posts and Online Attacks page explains the additional issues that can arise.

Intimate image abuse and defamation

An intimate image is not automatically defamatory.

Where a genuine private image has been disclosed without consent, misuse of private information may be more relevant than defamation.

Defamation may arise where:

• the image has been manipulated;
• the publisher falsely represents the circumstances in which it was created;
• false allegations accompany the material;
• a fabricated image is presented as authentic; or
• publication conveys another false and seriously damaging meaning.

This distinction matters. The appropriate claim should reflect what has actually occurred rather than treating every intimate-image dispute as defamation.

How can Nath Solicitors help?

Depending on the circumstances, our civil work may include:

• assessing threatened or completed publication;
• advising on privacy, reputation and harassment issues;
• preserving and analysing relevant evidence;
• preparing urgent legal correspondence;
• contacting publishers or website operators where appropriate;
• pursuing removal of private material;
• seeking undertakings against publication or republication;
• advising where anonymous accounts are involved;
• assessing manipulated or AI-generated material;
• considering misuse of private information, confidence, defamation or other civil claims;
• assessing whether urgent injunctive relief may be appropriate; and
• pursuing damages or other civil remedies where the legal requirements are met.

The strategy should reflect both the legal position and the immediate practical objective: stopping publication, reducing further spread, protecting privacy and addressing the wider reputational consequences.

Our experience in intimate image and privacy disputes

Nath Solicitors has more than 30 years of litigation and advisory experience, with Director Shubha Nath overseeing major reputation and privacy matters.

Our published work includes acting for a client who had been involved in a long-term online relationship. After the relationship ended, the other party threatened disclosure of the relationship and further harassment.

The matter involved sensitive issues concerning private information, misuse of private information and intimate images. Nath Solicitors dealt directly with the dispute and secured deletion of the images, resolving the matter between the parties.

Our wider practice includes High Court privacy and reputation disputes, threatened publication, harassment-related reputation matters and urgent applications involving damaging online content.

Our approach is discreet and focused on identifying the quickest legally appropriate route to protect the client’s privacy and wider position.

Why clients instruct Nath Solicitors

Clients instruct Nath Solicitors in intimate-image and related privacy disputes because we offer:

• more than 30 years of litigation and advisory experience;
• experience handling sensitive privacy and reputation disputes;
• published experience securing deletion of intimate images;
• experience dealing with threatened and completed online publication;
• experience in connected harassment and reputation matters;
• direct access to senior lawyers; and
• the reassurance of instructing an SRA-regulated boutique London law firm.

We understand that privacy, speed and discretion can be particularly important in intimate-image cases.

Our civil strategy focuses on limiting further publication, protecting privacy and identifying the legal remedy most appropriate to the circumstances.

Support outside the civil legal process

Legal advice is only one form of support available.

The Revenge Porn Helpline provides confidential support and assistance to adults in the UK affected by intimate image abuse, including threats to share images, sextortion and help with reporting content for removal.

For people under 18 in the UK, Report Remove is operated by Childline in partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation and provides a specialist route for reporting nude or sexual imagery for removal.

Police involvement may also be appropriate where criminal conduct, coercion, threats or safety concerns arise.

These routes can operate alongside appropriate civil legal advice.

This page contains general information about the law in England and Wales. It does not constitute legal advice in relation to any particular matter.

Reviewed by Shubha Nath, Solicitor and Director.