BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. – A 25-year-old Bloomfield Hills man is facing a felony charge for posting “revenge porn” against a former girlfriend.
Andrew Forbes Roche was arrested in August after posting nude photos of his ex-girlfriend on a website that is designed for humiliating former partners and lovers. He allegedly posted the photos without her consent and included her personal contact information.
Roche faces a charge of unlawful posting of message, which is a two-year felony. The trial is scheduled for February.
The victim was aware of the photos, which included several nude selfies which were sent privately during their dating relationship, according to the Charlevoix County prosecutor. The photos have been viewed about 50,000 times.
“Revenge porn is a relatively new and particularly serious form of abuse,” said Charlevoix County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gregory Justis in a press release. “The concept of revenge porn is simple: to use the victim’s most intimate moments and her most private space – her own body – to degrade and humiliate her, and to engage thousands or millions of strangers on the internet to participate in the act.”
“Once the photos are on the internet, it’s incredibly difficult to remove them,” explains Justis. “The sites are often based overseas, and demand payment of hundreds of dollars from individuals who wish to have their photos taken down. And even if someone pays, the photos remain online.”
