A 27-year-old man, Aaryan Raina Gobinath, was sentenced to 14 weeks in jail on December 23 after being found guilty of threatening to distribute intimate videos of his ex-girlfriend. He admitted to one amalgamated charge of making such threats, knowing they would distress the victim. Another amalgamated charge for making non-consensual recordings was considered during sentencing.
The victim, whose identity is protected by a gag order, had been in a relationship with Gobinath before they broke up and remained friends. However, their relationship turned sour when Gobinath secretly recorded intimate videos of her. Using the screen recording function, he captured two videos during video calls in October 2022. Additionally, he recorded two other videos during their interactions in October and November 2022. Except for the November recording, all were made without her consent.
The situation escalated on November 19, 2022, when Gobinath quarreled with the victim and threatened to share an intimate video with her friend. In December 2022, his threats became more aggressive. During a video call, he warned her to check with her friends if they had received explicit videos of her. He named two close friends and stated his intention to embarrass her. Gobinath also threatened to send the videos to her family members.
On March 10, 2023, Gobinath discovered the victim’s account on a dating app and became enraged. He sent her a link to a Google Drive containing four intimate videos, including three recordings she was unaware of. Alarmed, the victim realized the extent of his secretive actions. Gobinath later sent her a snippet from one video along with her mother’s phone number, which she interpreted as a direct threat.
Despite ignoring his messages and blocking his number, Gobinath continued to contact her through another messaging app. He sent another video snippet and repeated his threats to share the videos with her family. This prompted the victim to file a police report the following day.
During sentencing, the prosecution requested 15 to 18 weeks’ imprisonment, while Gobinath’s lawyer sought a more lenient sentence. The defense argued that Gobinath regretted his actions and had sought counseling with a pastor to address his anger issues. He also wrote an apology letter to the victim and faced significant disruptions to his work and income due to the case.
The court recognized the severe psychological and emotional harm caused by such threats. Under the law, threatening to distribute intimate images without consent carries penalties of up to five years in jail, along with potential fines or caning. Since Gobinath’s charge was amalgamated, the possible penalties could have been doubled.
This case highlights the dangers of intimate partner abuse and the misuse of technology in personal relationships. Authorities have reiterated the importance of respecting privacy and the severe consequences of exploiting private content to intimidate others.
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