A Newcastle man has been jailed after threatening to send intimate images of his ex-partner to her friends and family before repeatedly flouting a violence order by trying to contact her.
Ethan Henshaw, 31, appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Friday afternoon where he learned his fate after pleading guilty to sending his ex six videos and six images of her engaging in sexual acts and then threatening to leak them to people close to her.
Dressed in green prison uniform, Henshaw watched via video link from Silverwater Prison as he learned he was being jailed for a series of incidents that stretched from October to February and left his victim feeling anxious, stressed and scared.
Henshaw was on bail for the matters for which he was sentenced on Friday, but the court was told he had been remanded in custody in May on unrelated charges.
The car salesman pleaded guilty to threatening to distribute an intimate image without consent, as well as three offences of an AVO put in place to protect his ex-girlfriend, who cannot be named.
The court said the incident occurred after their relationship broke down.
In October last year, Henshaw became angry with her after an argument and sent her six images and six videos of her engaging in sexual acts from their time together.
The court heard she then contacted one of Henshaw’s friends and asked her to speak to him.
Ethan Henshaw has been jailed after attempting to blackmail a woman. Photo: supplied
Henshaw then passed on a message to the victim, via his friend, that he “might or might not forward the images” to his family and friends, the court was told.
The woman reported the incident to police and the man was arrested at his home in Boolaroo.
Although Henshaw maintained he never intended to publish the images, Magistrate Greg Grogin said on Friday that Henshaw was “announcing” that it was a “possibility”.
He was given an AVO preventing him from contacting her, however he sent her a friend request on Snapchat and a text message via the social media app.
“I’m worried about you, I still worry about you, I never stopped worrying, I never will stop worrying no matter what,” the message read.
The message also referred to the “implications” and risks of contacting her.
“This shows that when he sent that message he knew he was breaking the law and exposing himself to prosecution,” Grogin said.
The court was told Henshaw had further breached the restraining order when he was found in a park adjacent to the woman’s address. When approached by police, he claimed he was simply walking his dog.
The car salesman pleaded guilty to threatening to distribute an intimate image without consent, as well as three offences of an AVO put in place to protect his ex-girlfriend, who cannot be named.
“Of all the parks, on all the streets in New South Wales, he was walking his dog 100 metres from (the victim’s) house,” Grogin said.
Henshaw also attempted to contact her via Telegram, sending her 37 messages and making nine calls.
“She was so scared and distraught that she had to take the day off work,” Grogin said, noting that the woman was alarmed by her “erratic” behavior.
Henshaw’s lawyer argued that the car salesman could be sentenced to a community order and avoid full-time jail time.
Henshaw wrote a letter to the court expressing his “remorse” and “disgust” for his actions.
However, Mr Grogin said Henshaw had an “obsession” with the victim and had breached the trust that existed in their previous relationship.
He said the community needed to be protected and Henshaw held accountable, adding there was no appropriate sentence other than prison.
Henshaw was sentenced to 15 months in prison, with a non-parole period of nine months.
With the time he has already served in prison, he could be released on February 15.