‘Sexting’ damages case sets legal precedent as woman receives £25,000 compensation

'It’s vital that there are serious punishments that deter offenders from committing these crimes against young people'

The teacher encouraged the victim to text sexually-explicit images of herself to him (Rex Features)

A judge has awarded damages for “sexting” for the first time, setting a new legal precedent.

The victim, now in her twenties, was awarded £25,000.

She sued for harm caused after she was encouraged to text sexually-explicit images of herself to a teacher when she was a teenager, the BBC reported.

William Whillock, the former vice-principal of The New School in West Heath, Kent, received a three-year community sentence after he pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of a female teenage pupil. But the 57-year-old denied encouraging the victim to send indecent photos.

The precedent means that a claim for compensation can be brought by anyone who has suffered psychological harm as a result of sending or receiving a sexually-explicit message or image.

Lawyer David McClenaghan, who specialises in child abuse cases said it was a “ground-breaking law”.

The NSPCC said: “It’s vital that there are serious punishments that deter offenders from committing these crimes against young people.”

But the charity warned there was a danger young people could use it “as a way to get cash by suing one another”.

Speaking to the BBC, the victim said: “I used to feel that I was pressurised into sending them. I used to think to myself, just forget about it, it’s nothing.”

“Whenever I have a relationship it’s always stuck in my head. I felt forced into it.”

Additional reporting by PA