A teenaged Canadian girl is facing serious consequences for her part in an online bullying and sexting scandal.
The girl, who lives in British Columbia, has been found guilty of distributing child pornography as punishment for posting nude photos of her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend online.
This is believed to be one of the first cases in Canada where child pornography charges have been filed in retaliation for underage sexting.
Crown prosecutor Chandra Fisher called it a "precedent-setting case" that should give other teens pause before sending out nude photos of themselves or a classmate.
The incident that led to the charges is your typical modern teenage drama. It started in November 2012 when the then 16-year old girl found out that her current boyfriend was still talking to his ex-girlfriend. The girl was upset by this and then later found nude photos of the other girl on her boyfriend's phone.The defendant posted five explicit photos to a group of people in her social circle in order to ruin the ex-girlfriend's reputation. Prosecutors say the defendant also made threats against the other girl on Facebook.
The trial lasted for one day and focused on three of the photos and some text messages that were sent between the defendant and her friends.
The convicted girl's attorney stated that the government went too far with the charges.
Speaking to CNN, attorney Christopher Mackie agreed that his client engaged in online bullying but said she should not have been charged with distributing child pornography.
"Our sights have always been set on the constitutional question," Mackie told CNN. "Online bullying, yes. Child pornography, no."
Mackie also said the girl's family was disappointed that the Crown singled out his client when there were other students involved in distributing the photos.
The teenager, who is now 17, remains out on bail while she awaits her sentencing hearing. There is no word yet on what her penalty for the crime may be. The fact that she was charged as a minor, however, may get her some leniency from the court system.
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