Criminal offences and related laws concerning taking, creating, copying, sharing or threatening to share images showing or appearing to show a person in an intimate state without the required consent or reasonable belief in consent.
Sources and evidence type
Manual claim and limitation notes are shown where an individual source audit is complete. Other evidence-type labels are a publisher aid awaiting source-by-source confirmation.
CPS: communications and intimate-image offencesLaw or regulator
Source design
Primary legislation, prosecutorial or regulator guidance
What it can support
The legal provision or official regulatory position for the jurisdiction and date stated.
Important limitation
It is not fact-specific legal advice. Commencement, amendments, jurisdiction and case law may affect application.
Illustration created using generative AI; not documentary evidence.
In brief
Consent is specific to creating, retaining, copying and sharing—not transferred between them.
Intimate-image law has changed rapidly and is not one UK-wide rule. England and Wales now use a suite of Sexual Offences Act 2003 offences expanded by the Online Safety Act 2023, Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and Crime and Policing Act 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland have distinct legislation and tests. Conduct date and location matter.
Separate acts require separate consent
Agreement to be photographed does not imply agreement to store indefinitely, show a friend, post online or use for AI training. Each new purpose requires its own lawful basis and consent analysis.
Relationship history, prior sharing or public identity does not establish current consent. Withdrawal may affect future use even where technical deletion cannot be guaranteed.
Status
Detailed editorial draft
Publisher
The UK Kink Guide
Reviewed
Structured draft present; individual review date not recorded
Evidence
3 cited sources · types labelled below
Jurisdiction
UK overview: England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland may differ
Read the rest: evidence, law, safety and sources
Taking or creating
Producing a real or purported intimate image, with offences depending on consent, intent and jurisdiction.
Sharing
Sending, posting or otherwise disclosing an image; consent to creation is not consent to distribution.
Threatening to share
Using a threat that may be criminal even if the image does not exist or is never disclosed.
Temporary-view copying
Capturing content shared on a limited-view basis, now addressed specifically in England and Wales.
England and Wales
Current offences cover specified non-consensual sharing, threatening, creating or requesting purported adult intimate images, and other taking or copying conduct. Fault requirements and defences differ between offences.
Recent reforms have commencement dates and detailed exemptions. Use current legislation and CPS guidance for conduct on a particular date.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland's Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 addresses disclosure or threats involving intimate images under its own tests, alongside other possible offences. Reform of creation law has also been under consideration.
Northern Ireland uses its own statutory framework and applicable UK-wide provisions. Never assume the England-and-Wales offence wording applies unchanged.
Preservation, reporting and support
A victim can preserve URLs, usernames, dates and unedited screenshots without redistributing content more widely. Platforms, police and specialist support services may help with removal and reporting.
Do not download or retain suspected child sexual images to gather evidence. Seek police or specialist instructions because possession and copying can itself be unlawful.
Non-graphic examples
What the umbrella may include
Refusing to forward an image received privately.
Treating consent to a photograph as separate from consent to post it.
Preserving a URL and message metadata for reporting.
Reporting a threat even when unsure whether an image exists.
Checking the law applicable when and where conduct occurred.
Prepare for an appointment
Questions you could ask a professional
Which UK nation and law apply?
What facts or records should I preserve?
Are there urgent deadlines or protective steps?
Where can I obtain regulated, fact-specific advice?
These prompts do not replace assessment and do not imply that every reader needs professional care.
Continue learning
Take the next step from definition to context.
Continue with independent guidance connecting intimate-image offences to evidence, consent, safety, uncertainty and practical decisions.
The UK Kink GuideEvidence-led glossary