A 14-YEAR-OLD boy in England has been added to a criminal records database where his name will appear for the next ten years because he sent an indecent image of himself to a teenage girl.
Today BBC reported the boy sent a naked Snapchat photo to a girl the same age as him who he had been flirting with.
The next day his school’s police officer called his mother to say the girl had sent the image to other children at the school.
Under UK law anyone over the age of 10 who shares an indecent image of a person under 18 can be arrested, charged and potentially jailed for up to ten years. They can also be placed on the sex offenders list.
The boy and his mother spoke to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme earlier and said he has not been arrested or charged with a crime but he has been added to a police intelligence database. The girl who received the message and another girl she sent it to are also on the database.
The boy’s name could be stored there for ten years and his mother said police told her the incident could be flagged if her son ever wanted to get certain jobs – including those working with children.
“At best he was naive, at worst he was a teenager,” she said. “And in this day and age it’s referred to as sexting and it happens all the time. It’s how teenagers flirt.”
The 14 year old said he was embarrassed by the ordeal:
“I didn’t want to talk to people at lunches – I’d normally just get my food and go outside, but now I go to the library and get a book. People teased me about it. I wouldn’t consider it bullying, it’s just what happens to everyone when people find out.”
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