Love Island star says ‘cyber flashers’ bombard her with penis photos – and threaten to turn up at her home
After Amy Hart appeared on Love Island, men started sending her unsolicited pictures of their penises online.
As her social media following grew to one million after being on the show in 2019, she says she was consistently tagged in ‘dick pics’.
“You’re flicking through the Instagram stories you’ve been tagged in and they just pop up,” the 31-year-old tells Sky News.
“These people tag loads of women in the public eye so they can say ‘this list of people have all seen my penis’.”
Amy Hart after appearing on Love Island in 2019. Pic: PA
Journalist Sophie Gallagher received 120 images of a stranger’s erect penis via her iPhone’s AirDrop function while she was travelling on the London Underground in 2017.
Despite turning the Bluetooth settings off, having campaigned on the issue ever since, she now receives similar images on social media and by email.
“This is by no means unique to me,” the 32-year-old says. “Anyone in the public eye – celebrities, politicians – are bombarded with it constantly.”
Sophie Gallagher, 32. Pic: Mal Vaja
Cyber flashing became a criminal offence in England when the Online Safety Act was passed on 31 January this year.
Today a man is due to be sentenced for it in England for the first time. It has been an offence in Scotland since 2009.
Nicholas Hawkes, 39, from Basildon, Essex, sent unsolicited photos of his erect penis to a woman and a 15-year-old girl on WhatsApp on 9 February and subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation.
‘Forcing women into sexual contact’
Consultant forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes says that men who commit cyber flashing fall into two categories.
“There’s a small group of men who do this as part of a fantasy that the women involved are going to feel aroused by this behaviour,” she says.
“But the vast majority do it as a form of male dominance – as a way of forcing women into a form of sexual contact with them – to cause them distress, shock, horror, or fear.”
Recalling her experience, Sophie says she felt “angry”, which then changed to “shame, guilt and embarrassment”.
“I was embarrassed people might think I was just looking at these pictures on my phone on the tube,” she says.
Professor Clare McGlynn, law professor at Durham University, who helped advise the government on the new law, says both physical indecent exposure and cyber flashing instil the same fear in victims.
“It’s the same harm, the same intimidation, the same fear of what’s going to happen next – it’s just happening in different ways,” she tells Sky News.
She also says that cyber flashing can often prove harder to escape from.
“You can’t get away online. It’s more difficult because our phones are in our hands every day. We need our phones and our laptops for our work, schooling, private lives, banking, shopping, etc.”
But while Professor McGlynn and campaigners say the first sentencing shows “good progress”, prosecutions will still likely be difficult.
Read more:
Cyber flashing on public transport ‘under-reported’
Love Island star says she got death threats from a 13-year-old
In 2023 the law on so-called ‘revenge porn’ was changed so that victims only need to show a lack of consent to their images being shared.
The cyber flashing legislation, however, requires proof that either the perpetrator intended to cause distress, or gain sexual gratification, and was reckless as to whether or not it would cause distress.
Amy says: “The law is great progress, but it needs to go further and become consent-based. Because to me they could just say it was a joke – and then it’s fine.”
Amy Hart in London in 2022. Pic: PA
Professor McGlynn adds: “It doesn’t make sense, we’ve got two different standards for two very similar offences.
“Sending someone a dick pic without consent should be the offence.
“The reason is that it doesn’t matter what the person was intending, it’s still harmful to you.”
She says the differing legal standard suggests the government “isn’t taking cyber flashing as seriously as it ought to” and “doesn’t recognise it as being as harmful” as sharing people’s intimate images without consent.
‘Short-skirt-drunk-woman argument for new generation’
Amy and Sophie say they have blocked users, deleted photos, and turned off certain settings to avoid seeing unwanted images – but it rarely solves the problem.
Sophie says: “I turn my AirDrop off, that has solved that, but what’s the next thing? Technology is constantly evolving so the next thing will be deepfakes, AI, a new social media platform.
“The argument that we should ‘just stop using social media’ is the short-skirt-drunk-woman argument for a new generation.
“It blames the victim – rather than the perpetrator – and minimises how important our online lives are and the right we have to live safely online.”
Amy Hart has to be careful about details she shares online. Pic: PA
Amy adds that there are some men who have threatened to turn up at her home.
Now she lives with her boyfriend and their one-year-old son, she says: “I can’t say where we are and what we’re going to be doing tonight in real time – because it’s not hard to work out where I live.
“Especially now I’ve got a baby – I do feel quite unsafe sometimes.”
Is cyber flashing a ‘gateway’ offence?
Last month a report into the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by former police officer Wayne Couzens revealed he had tried to show colleagues violent, extreme pornography and allegedly shared sexually graphic images with young women.
Wayne Couzens. Pic: Metropolitan Police
Couzens at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Kent where he exposed himself in 2021. Pic: Met Police
The mother of Libby Squires, who was abducted, raped and murdered by Pawel Relowicz in Hull in 2019, has stressed that he had watched women through windows and broken into their homes to steal intimate items in the weeks before he killed her.
Pawel Relowicz. Pic: Humberside Police
CCTV of Libby Squires’s killer Pawel Relowicz in Hull. Pic: Humberside Police
In the cyber flashing case in Essex, the defendant being sentenced today was already a registered sex offender having been convicted of sexual activity with a child under 16 last year.
Ms Daynes says that non-contact sex offences are often a “gateway” to physical, violent crimes.
“Often it’s a gateway offence, or one you see alongside other sexual offending, but sometimes it exists on its own,” she says.
“We’re still trying to figure out who will just operate in the virtual world – and those who will take it offline – for whom simply imagining the reaction of their victim isn’t enough.”
Professor McGlynn argues that while recent cases have “put the spotlight on non-contact offences”, they don’t just serve as ‘gateways’ or ‘red flags’.
“It’s not possible to say one leads to another,” she says. “Individuals offend in lots of ways that overlap, which means you have to take these offences seriously in and of themselves.
“Exposure and cyber flashing are men being intimidating and threatening, so we should take them seriously for that reason – not only because we think they’ll lead to a more ‘major’ offence.”
Platforms need to do more blurring/blocking
All four women say social media platforms need to do more to prevent people from seeing harmful images – both from strangers and people they know.
They fear a “reality-rhetoric gap”, with such a high burden of proof for the new offence, will mean police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will be reluctant to pursue cases.
Professor McGlynn says the provisions elsewhere in the Online Safety Act have meant regulator Ofcom’s guidance on what platforms should do is “weak”.
“They don’t have to block or blur nude and explicit images because the Online Safety Act is not telling them they have to,” she says. “And that completely misunderstands the harm – the harm is being sent them – just because you can delete them does not make it okay.”
Meta says that on WhatsApp, media sent by anyone not in a user’s contacts is automatically blurred – but this isn’t the case for people users are already connected with.
On Instagram, it says changes have been made to direct message requests so “you can’t receive any images or videos until you’ve accepted their request to chat”.
Apple says there are settings to stop others from seeing a device on AirDrop and sending it content, as well as a ‘sensitive content warning’ option that appears before users can open media that may contain nudity.
Meta runs Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. Pic: Reuters
Pic: AP
Sefer Mani, of the CPS in the East of England, argues the first cyber flashing case from Essex “shows the new law is working” and added: “Cyber-flashing is a grotesque crime. Everyone should feel safe wherever they are. I urge anyone who feels they have been a victim of cyber flashing to report it to the police and know that they will be taken seriously and have their identities protected.”
A government spokesperson added the Online Safety Act is a “deterrent” to cyber flashing, which gives police “the clarity they need to tackle offenders and keep people safe”.
An Ofcom spokesperson said it has proposed “robust measures” for tech firms and is consulting “at pace” on further enforceable changes. It expects to complete its consultation by the end of the year.
Former anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq has been named in a third inquiry being launched by authorities in Bangladesh investigating money laundering and power misuse.
At a media briefing in Dhaka held hours after Ms Siddiq resigned as a minister, investigators confirmed they were working on another probe involving the Labour MP.
It is the third Bangladesh inquiry and comes on top of questions about London properties she lives in or has lived in with links to her aunt, the ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party.
Director general of the Anti-Corruption Commission Akhtar Hossain told Sky News the organisation was “preparing another investigation against Tulip Siddiq and her uncle Tarique Siddique for money laundering, power misuse, and illegally occupying Bangladesh government property”.
Mr Hossain also said the investigation team in Bangladesh would contact the UK authorities if additional information was required.
A spokesperson for Ms Siddiq said: “No evidence has been presented for these allegations.
“Tulip Siddiq has not been contacted by anyone on the matter and totally denies the claims.”
Tarique Siddique is Ms Siddiq’s uncle – the husband of her mother’s younger sister – and previously served as a defence and security adviser to her aunt Sheikh Hasina.
Ms Hasina fled Bangladesh in August and resigned her post after 20 years amid weeks of deadly protests.
Read more: What allegations is Tulip Siddiq facing?
Tulip Siddiq with Sheikh Hasina in 2009. Pic: Reuters
The new government has since accused Ms Hasina’s Awami League administration of crimes and corruption while in office.
Ms Siddiq quit as anti-corruption minister on Tuesday after links with her aunt and her political regime came under scrutiny.
It is claimed she has benefited financially from three London properties linked to her aunt and her allies.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s standards adviser Sir Laurie Magnus who said he had “not identified evidence of improprieties” but added it was “regrettable” Ms Siddiq had not been more alert to the “potential reputational risks” of the ties to her aunt.
Ms Siddiq said continuing in her role would be “a distraction” for the government but insisted she had done nothing wrong.
Read more: Tulip Siddiq boasted of links with ousted Bangladesh PM
Tulip Siddiq (far left) with her aunt, Sheikh Hasina (third left), and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a 2013 signing ceremony in the Kremlin as Moscow lent $1.5bn to help build a nuclear power station. File pic: AP
Earlier this week, Sky News revealed Bangladesh investigators were looking into Ms Siddiq as part of a separate corruption inquiry into the illegal allocation of land in a new town development outside of Dhaka.
She was also named in an investigation into the alleged embezzlement of $5bn (£3.9bn) from a nuclear power project in the country developed in partnership with Russia.
Labour sources suggested these accusations were not genuine and Ms Siddiq had not been contacted by anyone in Bangladesh about the inquiries.
Nobel peace-prize winning economist Muhammad Yunus, who is leading Bangladesh’s interim government, said the London properties used by Ms Siddiq should be investigated and returned if she is found to have benefited from “plain robbery”.
Following her resignation, Professor Yunus said there will be a thorough investigation into properties and assets “tied to stolen Bangladeshi funds, including those linked to individuals with connections to the previous regime” and if it is proven they have benefited from embezzlement “we expect those assets to be returned to Bangladesh, where they rightfully belong”.
“Tulip Siddiq may not have entirely understood the source of the money and property that she was enjoying in London, but she knows now and should seek forgiveness from the people of Bangladesh,” he added.
Singer Linda Nolan, who rose to fame alongside her sisters in The Nolans, has died after several years of battling cancer.
The Irish star, 65, and her sisters Coleen, Maureen, Bernie, Denise and Anne, had a run of hits in the late 1970s and ’80s – including the disco classic I’m In The Mood For Dancing.
Paying tribute on The Nolans‘ X account, her sisters described her as “a pop icon and beacon of hope”, who “faced incurable cancer with courage, grace and determination, inspiring millions”.
Linda died peacefully in hospital this morning, “embraced with love and comfort” with her siblings by her side, her agent Dermot McNamara said in a statement.
“As a member of The Nolans, one of the most successful girl groups of all time, Linda achieved global success; becoming the first Irish act to sell over a million records worldwide, touring the world and selling over 30 million records,” he said.
“Her distinctive voice and magnetic stage presence brought joy to fans around the world, securing her place as an icon of British and Irish entertainment.
“Beyond her incredible career, Linda dedicated her life to helping others, helping raise over £20m for numerous charities, including Breast Cancer Now, Irish Cancer Society and Samaritans, amongst countless others. Her selflessness and tireless commitment to making a difference in the lives of others will forever be a cornerstone of her legacy.”
Five of the Nolans in 1983 (L-R): Linda, Anne, Bernie, Coleen and Maureen. Pic: PA
Linda’s death came after she was admitted to hospital with pneumonia over the weekend. She began receiving end-of-life care after slipping into a coma on Tuesday, Mr McNamara said.
Details of a celebration of the star’s “remarkable life” will be shared in due course, he added.
Linda was born to Tommy and Maureen Nolan in Dublin on 23 February 1959, the sixth of eight children.
Her parents were both singers and keen to turn their young family into a musical troupe. Linda made her stage debut aged just four.
Those early years put the siblings on track for a career in show business which lasted for decades. As well as I’m In The Mood For Dancing, The Nolans had hits with Gotta Pull Myself Together, Attention To Me and Don’t Make Waves, and they also had their own TV specials.
At their height, they toured with Frank Sinatra and were reported to have outsold The Beatles in Japan.
Linda left the group in 1983, but later reformed with her sisters for several comeback performances. She also became known for musical theatre, most notably performing the role of Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers for three years from 2000.
L-R: Bernie, Denise, Linda (top), Anne and Maureen Nolan pictured in 1975, before youngest sister Coleen joined the group
Four siblings struck by cancer
Linda was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, and underwent a mastectomy to remove her left breast two days before her 47th birthday.
After being given the all-clear in 2011, in 2017 she was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. Three years later, Linda and Anne together revealed they were being treated for cancer once again.
The sisters were diagnosed with different forms of the disease just days apart after they returned home from filming a series of their show, The Nolans Go Cruising. Linda had cancer of the liver, while Anne had breast cancer.
The star, pictured last year, had battled cancer for several years. Pic: Shutterstock
They went on to write Stronger Together, an account of their journey that included frank details of their treatments and the side effects.
But in 2023, Linda revealed the cancer had spread to her brain and she was beginning treatment as part of a new drug trial.
The Nolans lost their second-youngest sister, Bernie, to cancer in 2013, aged 52.
Loose Women star Coleen Nolan also revealed she was diagnosed with skin cancer last year, and said she was using a chemotherapy cream to remove it.
Linda’s husband of 26 years, Brian Hudson, died in 2007 after being diagnosed with skin cancer.
Anne Nolan is now cancer-free.
Tributes to star ‘who was always a joy’
TV star and singer Cheryl Baker and comedian Tommy Cannon are among those who have paid tribute.
“I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Linda Nolan,” Cannon wrote on X. “I had the pleasure of working with her on so many occasions, and she was always a joy – full of warmth and love. My thoughts and love are with the Nolan girls and the whole family.”
“The most incredible voice, the wickedest sense of humour, such a massive talent,” Baker wrote. “You’re with Brian now, Lin.”
Loose Women also sent its love to her family. Linda appeared as a guest panellist on the ITV chat show over the years, alongside her sister Coleen.
The Blackpool Grand Theatre described her as “a true Blackpool icon”.
Two teenagers and a woman have been arrested after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death on a bus in southeast London.
Kelyan Bokassa was on the 472 service in Woolwich when he was attacked just before 2.30pm on Tuesday 7 January.
The teenager died at the scene shortly after medical help arrived.
Two boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of murder, and a 44-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
All three remain in custody, the Metropolitan Police said.
Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee said: “While these arrests mark a significant step forward in this investigation, we continue to appeal for anyone with information about Kelyan’s murder to come forward and speak to us.
“I would like to thank officers for working around the clock in order to locate our suspects and praise the Woolwich community for their ongoing support and patience whilst we have carried out our investigation.
“I know that this incident deeply affected you all, and I hope that these two arrests reassure you that we are doing everything to tackle violent offenders across London.”
Anti-knife campaigner Faron Paul speaking during a vigil held for Kelyan last week. Pic: PA
The Metropolitan Police called the stabbing a “horrific attack”, while London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said the “heartbreaking violence has absolutely no place in our city”.
Kelyan was an aspiring rapper, who was described as having “briefly” been a student at St Columbia’s Catholic Boys School in Bexleyheath.
Following his death, his mother Mary Bokassa described his troubled childhood to journalists.
She said he was taken into care, moved from school to school, and eventually fell into the clutches of criminal gangs.
Read more from Sky News:
Singer and TV personality Linda Nolan dies
Father denies murdering daughter during ‘play-fight’
Met Police officers were called to reports of a stabbing on a Route 472 bus at 2.28pm on 7 January on Woolwich Church Street, near its junction with the A205 South Circular Road.
Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance attended the scene.
Police say Kelyan’s family are being supported by specialist officers as the investigation “remains ongoing”.
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