Niki Mistry, new business manager at Igniyte and online content removal expert, has spoken to The Times regarding the high-profile image-based abuse case of Stuart Gaunt, which Igniyte has been engaged via a law-firm to support with removal of images.
Victoria’s partner, Stuart Gaunt, was criminally convicted of voyeurism and making indecent images of a child. When Victoria opened his computer hard drive, she found numerous videos and images of herself naked, taken without her knowledge, and uploaded on pornographic websites. She won a landmark case at the High Court, which set a precedent for victims of image-based sexual abuse.
The court awarded her £97,041.61 in compensation, including £21,600 to remove the images from the internet. Her case sets a precedent for other victims of image-based sexual abuse. It is thought to be the first-time financial compensation had been awarded specifically for cleaning the internet of the offensive material, a process not required after a conviction.
The 48-year-old, whose name has been changed, said: “We shared the same bed, we shared the same home, I loved him. And then, overnight, it became total, total horror.”
Igniyte, as the UK’s leading reputation management company, was asked by the court to remove the videos and images of Victoria from the internet. Igniyte help hundreds of brands and individuals every year remove negative, unsubstantiated, and defamatory content and images online from blogs, social and professional media profiles, reviews sites, press articles and forums
Igniyte have been engaged by Victoria’s solicitors to support with this high-profile case, working to quickly and professional remove these images from the internet.
“Someone will post something on a mainstream site and then smaller websites will copy the video and upload it themselves,” said Niki Mistry, who works for Igniyte “So that one link very quickly becomes 50.”
If the victim owns the content, then the company can use copyright laws to request the websites take it down. If they do not — like Victoria — they use criminal court documents, proving voyeurism or image based sexual abuse. If they have neither, then the company simply has to ask the sites to remove it. They often refuse. The process generally takes six months.
However, material could have been downloaded by an individual, meaning it could be uploaded again. Constant scanning of the internet for the image generally costs around £200 a month. Organisations such as Revenge Porn Helpline will do the work for victim’s pro bono.
Victoria said her case felt like a “triumph” and that she was “thrilled” it would help other women, but she conceded: “Sadly it won’t ever be over. The fear is constantly there, that there is material stored somewhere that I don’t know about.”
Click here to find out more about the case.
An experienced Digital PR and corporate communications professional, Benjamin leads PR strategy and delivery for Igniyte’s clients across multiple countries and sectors.
With over 5 years’ experience in marketing, communications, and PR, Benjamin consistently gains high-ranking positive coverage for our clients in national, international, and specialist online media – including The Times, The National, The I Paper, EuroNews, Forbes and PC Mag.
