'first cyber-flashing' case

[GURPS]

Police investigate 'first cyber-flashing' case


Police are investigating a "new" crime of cyber-flashing after a commuter received an indecent image on her phone as she travelled to work.

The victim received two pictures of an unknown man's penis on her phone via Apple's Airdrop sharing function.

Lorraine Crighton-Smith, 34, said she felt "violated" and reported it to the British Transport Police (BTP).

Supt Gill Murray said this particular crime was new to her force and urged people to report any other incidents.

Ms Crighton-Smith, who was travelling on a train in south London, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme: "I had Airdrop switched on because I had been using it previously to send photos to another iPhone user - and a picture appeared on the screen of a man's penis, which I was quite shocked by.

really is there a crime here ....

"What's the next stage from sending a naked photograph to a stranger, what happens next, was he getting any sort of gratification from it?"

The BTP has investigated the incident, but said because Ms Crighton-Smith did not "accept" the photograph there was no technological evidence for them to work with and recorded it as intelligence.

Supt Gill Murray said the force had dealt with cases involving Bluetooth but an incident via Airdrop was "new to us".