A victim has spoken of her 'constant and exhausting anxiety' after a man sold intimate pictures of her, which he had taken with hidden cameras, on adult platform OnlyFans. The woman collected a huge amount of evidence and brought it to police, with Alexander Tang being handed a suspended sentence as a result.
How the crimes were uncovered
The 37-year-old's crimes were uncovered when the survivor was contacted by several men who claimed to have spoken with her on social media and dating apps, with the profiles using images of her which were taken without her permission, or even her knowledge.
In some of the pictures used, she was either just partially clothed or fully naked, leading to the horrifying realisation that they were captured using hidden devices set-up by Tang. She then matched several of the images to those posted on various websites, including OnlyFans.
Police investigation and evidence
When the victim reported this to Northumbria Police, PC Alex Pattinson worked closely with OnlyFans to build up a case file of evidence, collecting all the images and ensuring that they were removed from the site. Financial date connected Tang to the account, proving that he had profited from the sale of the non-consensual content, which included 47 images and four videos.
Upon his arrest, Tang's devices were seized, but he withheld passwords to them, and continued to deny any wrongdoing when interviewed by officers. However, in July, he pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, after he was charged last December.
Sentence and victim impact
On Monday, August 11, Tang, now of Richardson Gardens, Shiremoor, but originally from the Loughborough area, was given a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years, handed a ten year restraining order, must serve 30 hours of community service, and was given a 35-day rehabilitation order.
Describing help she received from North East based Rape Crisis and an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate as 'very supportive', the victim shared this statement: "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. Before this experience, I never truly understood why some victims of abuse withdraw from investigations or decide not to continue. I understand now.
"The process requires you to relive the abuse repeatedly. You are forced to revisit traumatic memories, review images and videos, and repeatedly tell your story. It is emotionally exhausting.
"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.
"Tang’s actions have fundamentally changed how I live, how I trust people, and how safe I feel in everyday life. Although his guilty plea brought some relief and spared me the ordeal of a trial, it does not undo the harm that has been caused.
"Although these proceedings are reaching their conclusion, I will never have the certainty of knowing the full extent of what was recorded, shared or stored. The impact of that loss of that 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."
After the sentencing, PT Pattinson added: "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.
"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.
"Now, everyone knows that Tang is a sex offender, and the court-imposed orders mean he’ll be monitored closely by police for some time. We won’t tolerate this type of offending, and we’d urge anyone who has been through anything similar to get in touch, so we can take action."
