A revenge porn victim forced into hiding by her abusive ex and his friend has condemned the justice system for failing to keep her safe. Arkadiusz Lis avoided prison after sending letters containing nude images of the mother to people in her street and branding her a “prostitute” while living with her ex-boyfriend.
The victim, who is not being identified for her own safety, said she has been repeatedly failed by the justice system after Lis, previously filmed slashing her tyres, was handed community service. She said: “For years I have been terrorised by two men. They weren’t empty threats, they were calculated, premeditated acts designed to frighten me and make me feel nowhere is safe.”
Victim says she is left serving the sentence
The woman, who has a disabled son, said the attacks forced her and her son into hiding. She said: “The humiliation, fear and loss of privacy have affected every single part of my life and the life of my disabled son. I’m the victim yet I’m the one who has been left serving the sentence.”
She added: “I can’t sleep properly. I can’t go anywhere without looking over my back. I’ve moved miles away. There’s no justice and I have just been left to survive on my own and fend for myself. I have a right to say how I feel and what has been done to me and I want other people to know.”
Lis admitted posting revenge porn images
Lis, from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, admitted posting the revenge porn pictures and sending a text threatening to disclose “intimate images” of the victim at Lanark Sheriff Court last week. The court heard the 2023 case had taken many years to resolve and there had been a long-running dispute over responsibility.
Lis’s lawyer said the offence “wasn’t his idea” but he “went along with it” while living with the victim’s ex-partner at the time. Sheriff David Bernard called the charge “very serious” and ordered Lis, 42, to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work as a “direct alternative” to prison.
The victim described receiving the letter: “I was on the phone to a victim support CID officer when I went to the door and opened the letter. It was a piece of paper with my name and the image which showed me with nothing on. I remembered the image. I had sent it of me in my mirror to my ex. It was my name at the top and my mobile number saying ‘prostitute’. I couldn’t breathe. I was absolutely bawling my eyes out.”
Neighbours received envelopes with images
As she waited for police, neighbours stood outside with envelopes in their hands. She said: “They came to my house and said they had just had it posted through the door by the postman. I felt mortified. I couldn’t even walk outside my house for ages. He succeeded in doing the most humiliating thing you can do to a person. I can’t stop crying because there is no justice at all. I know he will be laughing at his sentence. I’ve never shared my image to his friend so how did he get that image in the first place?”
Szymanski, 32, who the victim started a relationship with in 2020, was never convicted in relation to the offence but was sentenced to a two-year non-harassment order a year after they split. The victim said: “He was perfect when we met. He told me he loved me in four weeks and it was all very fast.”
Abuse peaked in 2022
The abuse peaked in 2022 and the couple broke up. Szymanski was sentenced to community service in September 2023 for a course of abusive behaviour during which he repeatedly hit her on the head and body, “menaced” her, threatened her and claimed she had cheated on him.
The mother said naked images of her were shared on TikTok and a fake OnlyFans page set up but police have been unable to trace the culprits. She said: “Images are still on TikTok now. The police said there was nothing they could do because it was in China.”
Lis was sentenced to a one-year non-harassment order and fined £320 for targeting the victim’s car and slashing the tyres on a car belonging to her dad in 2024. The victim said: “It was part of a deliberate and calculated campaign to threaten, humiliate and control me. When me and Arta (Szymanski) split he and Lis became friends and obviously decided it was time for me to suffer. He was using him to do his dirty work. Lis is obviously the idiot who has played along with it.”
She finds their punishments unacceptable, adding: “Non-harassment orders and what felt like tiny community payback sentences were imposed, while I was left living in the prison they had created for me. The courts have continued to allow this nightmare to affect me, and even now I feel that the abuse and intimidation have not truly ended. I don’t want revenge. I wanted protection, accountability and a punishment that reflected the seriousness of what was done to me.”
A spokeswoman for the Judicial Office for Scotland said: “When deciding a sentence, judges will always carefully consider the facts established in court and take into account the unique factors of each case. They will carefully consider the circumstances of the particular offence, what sentence is most appropriate, having regard to relevant sentencing guidelines.”
