WORKINGTON WOMAN FINED FOR SHARING WHATSAPP POST ABOUT EX BEING A SEX OFFENDER
A WOMAN breached a court order by sharing a post on WhatsApp which said her former partner was a convicted sex offender.Vicky McKenzie, 37, was warned that publishing any content ‘can have unforeseen consequences’ when she appeared before magistrates for sharing a post on her profile picture for the messaging app.
Workington Magistrates’ Court heard the defendant is not allowed to post anything about her former partner on social media under the terms of a non-molestation order imposed last year.
Peter Kelly, prosecuting, said McKenzie and the complainant had been in a relationship from 2020 until 2021, and a non-molestation order was put in place in July 2024.
McKenzie’s former partner had then complained to police about a post she made on WhatsApp, which referenced him, in October of the previous year.
The post made reference to the complainant’s past, causing him ‘concern and distress’.
The complainant said he was ‘scared’ to leave his house and was ‘constantly on edge’.
The defendant’s lawyer argued the comments were true and suggested the only way the complainant could have known about the post was if he kept her number, which he was told not to do.
McKenzie admitted to breaching the order, pleaded guilty, and was fined £80 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £32 victim surcharge.
Magistrate Thomas Ryan emphasized that “social media is a minefield” and warned about the consequences of posting content online.
