(Image: Northumbria Police)
A man has been sentenced for taking non-consensual intimate images of a woman and selling them on OnlyFans.
Alexander Tang, 37, from Richardson Gardens, Shiremoor, used hidden cameras to secretly record his victim.
He uploaded 47 images and four videos of her to the adult website without her knowledge or consent.
On Monday, August 11, he was handed a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court.
The victim discovered the abuse after she was contacted by several men online who had seen her images on social media and dating apps.
She found the profiles were using images of her taken without her permission or knowledge where, in some of the images, she was either partially clothed or fully naked.
She said: "Tang’s actions have fundamentally changed how I live, how I trust people, and how safe I feel in everyday life."
The woman realised the images had been captured without her knowledge using hidden cameras set up by Tang.
She traced the images to OnlyFans and reported the crime to Northumbria Police, who identified Tang as the account owner and confirmed he had profited financially from selling the content.
Police Constable Alex Pattinson led the investigation, gathering evidence from OnlyFans and ensuring the images were removed from the site.
PC Pattinson said: "I am horrified by Alexander Tang’s crime which is a clear violation of this woman’s expectation of privacy.
"No-one should ever experience what this woman has gone through – and to then learn Tang was then profiting from his deceitful offending must have been devastating."
Tang had also uploaded a photograph of the woman’s ID to the site to verify the account.
When arrested, he refused to provide passwords for his devices and denied any wrongdoing during interviews.
He pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism in July.
During the investigation, the victim received support from Rape Crisis and an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA).
In a statement read to the court, she spoke of the ongoing impact of Tang’s actions. She said: "The passage of time has not allowed me to move on.
"This has affected my mental health significantly.
"I have spent months working with a rape Crisis therapist and have relied on counselling and support from my GP to help me cope with the anxiety, stress, nightmares and lack of sleep."
She described the investigation process as "emotionally exhausting," and encouraged other survivors to "just don’t give up".
She said: "There have been times when it would have been easier to walk away.
"The reason I did not is because I could not bear the thought of someone else experiencing what I have been through."
The woman said she will never know the full extent of what Tang recorded or shared.
She said: "The impact of that loss of privacy and security will stay with me long after this court case has finished.
"I cannot get the images, the videos, or the degrading captions and comments associated with them out of my mind.
"Knowing that intimate images and videos of me were uploaded to dozens of websites, reposted and shared by strangers, is something I struggle with every day."
Tang has been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for seven years and given a ten-year restraining order to protect the victim.
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He was also sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work and a 35-day rehabilitation order under the supervision of the Probation Service.
PC Pattinson praised the victim for her bravery.
He said: "The victim-survivor has shown such courage and commitment in coming forward and reporting this behaviour to police – but the evidence she discovered against him meant Tang had little choice but to plead guilty."