Abusers coercing or duping women to post explicit OnlyFans content, UK court cases reveal
Separate criminal convictions come as domestic violence charities warn of tech-facilitated abuse and coercion
TL;DR
- Alexander Tang convicted for posting 47 intimate images and four videos of a woman on OnlyFans without her consent, receiving payment.
- Dean Holmes convicted of rape, assault, and controlling/coercive behavior after coercing a woman to open an OnlyFans account for him to profit from.
- Domestic violence charities like Women's Aid and Revenge Porn Helpline report an increase in women being compelled to create content for abusive partners on OnlyFans.
- Holmes isolated his victim and pressured her to upload explicit content, which she later expressed shame over.
- Tang's victim discovered her non-consensual images were used on OnlyFans after being contacted by men who thought they were interacting with her elsewhere.
- OnlyFans stated it has a zero-tolerance policy for illegal content and invests in moderation and works with law enforcement.
- Refuge charity noted its staff have supported survivors in cases involving the weaponization of OnlyFans by perpetrators.
- Emma Pickering from Refuge emphasized the need for robust implementation and monitoring of consent verification on the platform.