A MAN posted a ‘revenge porn’ image of an ex-girlfriend on her Facebook page after discovering she had cheated on him, a court heard.

Simon Peckham, 54, admitted to Poole Magistrates Court that he had posted the image of her, semi-naked with another man, after finding it on her mobile phone while she was asleep.

He denied that he had any intention to cause her distress, and said his motive was simply to show her that he had found the image, since she was a regular Facebook user and he knew she would see it.

However he was found guilty after a trial before magistrates.

Prosecutor Komal Patel asked Peckham why he had not just approached the victim directly.

“You came across that picture which you say caused you serious distress, at that point why did you not just go and ask her about why she had it?” she said.

“She was asleep,” said Peckham. “I didn’t want to wake her up. I was so upset my first thought was to let her know I had seen that photo. I didn’t want to make her shout at me. I didn’t want there to be an argument.”

Ms Patel said: “You say you didn’t want to upset her, posting that picture on her public Facebook profile caused her distress.”

Peckham said: “I wasn’t thinking about how she would react, the only thing I was thinking about was me.”

He said that, after it was discovered, he had thought the victim more upset that he had discovered the image than that it had gone on Facebook.

In defence, Leah Dillon said her client had believed the victim regarded Facebook as a “fantasy” and did not take seriously the things posted on it.

“For him Facebook was a direct link to her. He didn’t think of the consequences, he didn’t think she would mind.

“Perhaps Mr Peckham is a naive gentleman, that doesn’t make him a guilty man.”

The court heard he had also sent a topless picture of the victim to himself, then back to her from his own phone, but this does not come under the offence.

Peckham, of Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, was found guilty of disclosing a private sexual photograph with intent to cause distress.

The case was adjourned for sentencing on August 6. The offence carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, but magistrates told Peckham: “We accept that it was in the heat of the moment and you were in a very distressed state.”