Instagram stalker: Daniel Taylor avoids jail time after threatening to post sex pics on social media
A controlling and abusive ex-boyfriend left his victim “sick in the stomach” after he told her photos taken without her consent of the pair having sex had been posted on Instagram.
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An abusive and controlling ex-boyfriend who told his former partner he posted on Instagram photos taken without her consent of the pair having sex has narrowly avoided a jail sentence.
Daniel Taylor, 32, was sentenced in the County Court on December 9 to a three-year community corrections order after pleading guilty to stalking.
Taylor’s controlling behaviour dominated the on-again-off-again relationship.
Taylor threatened self-harm if she didn’t do what he said, controlled and criticised what she wore and her behaviour and said he would leave her if she had contact with her family.
He also monitored her social media accounts and her phone.
The victim ended the relationship and blocked Taylor from her social media accounts.
Taylor then “bombarded” her with hundreds of abusive and threatening texts over a six-day period.
Taylor also sent her photos he had taken without her consent of the last time the pair had sex and threatened to send them to his victim’s family and friends.
He sent lewd images of himself to the woman and threatened to hurt one of her male friends.
Taylor told her he had posted sex pictures on his social media accounts.
The ex from hell then posted a photo of the woman in lingerie on Instagram and said he would only remove it if she responded to his texts.
Taylor said it was her fault he posted the images because all she needed to do was be his “girlfriend now”.
The victim reported Taylor to police.
Taylor’s defence counsel submitted the offending was a result of “emotional distress”.
It was also submitted the offending only occurred over a six-day period.
However, Judge Susan Pullen said “six days to (the victim) was a very long time”.
“There is no doubt your offending was persistent, controlling and threatening designed to adversely impact on her mental state,” she said.
“You were successful in that regard … the contents of your messages completely puerile.”
Judge Pullen agreed Taylor made a “calculated attempt to cause harm to the victim”.
“The victim of your offending and her mother have suffered considerably,” she said.
In her victim impact statement, the woman said she had done everything she could – including begging – to make Taylor stop but “he did not seem to care”.
She said she “felt sick to the stomach” when she believed Taylor had posted naked photos of her on social media but she was helpless to do anything.
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The victim said at the time she was a “broken human being” who did not feel she could live with the “shame and humiliation”.
“Your use of social media to abuse and manipulate her further isolated her from friends as social media and technology was important part of her generation’s connectiveness and everyday life,” Judge Pullen said.
“No more puerile messages, no acting like a 16-year-old behind a shelter shed, grow up.”
Taylor, who was acquitted of rape, will also need to undertake 200 hours of community service.