A Warminster man ‘successfully’ harassed a woman for sex and posted her nudes on Facebook.
36-year-old Ryan Conduit pleaded guilty to numerous offences at Swindon Magistrates’ Court today (12 October), having been remanded in custody by Wiltshire Police overnight.
He admitted a range of crimes – including harassment, disclosing private sexual photographs with intent to cause distress (also known as revenge porn), possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of cannabis and resisting arrest.
Prosecutor Pauline Lambert said that the defendant, of West Parade, met his victim when she moved to Warminsters around four years ago.
The pair became good friends, but Conduit started to become jealous of her boyfriends. He would constantly call and text, threatening her and being abusive.
He spent a period remanded in prison after pleading not guilty to an assault on the woman, but the case was thrown out when she failed to turn up for the trial.
When the defendant was released from prison, the pair met up and engaged in consensual sex – but the woman claimed it was only because she felt sorry for him.
She then avoided his attempts to contact her but he persisted. He threatened to post naked photos of her – which were taken without her knowledge whilst she was sleeping and in the bath. Conduit proceeded to post two photographs on Facebook, where her children could view them.
Since his release from prison, the victim slept with the defendant on four or five occasions because he had threatened to kill himself and she felt like she had no choice.
Conduit saw the woman in Wetherspoons with another man, and he proceeded to text her threatening and abusive messages before starting a fight with the man.
Police were sent to the scene but he had left the area. Searches were carried out and he was located at 1pm on Monday (10 October). As he was arrested, he dragged two officers down the stairs and had to be physically restrained on the ground.
A search of his rucksack uncovered a CS gas canister – which is banned under the Firearms Act 1968.
Charlotte Frizzell, defending, said that the pair had been having a sexual relationship for around eight months. Adding that “one minute she wants him, one minute she doesn’t”.
She said that her client lost his father in 2020 and started using heroin and crack cocaine – but managed to stop using drugs.
“The relationship was up and down and when he’s stressed, he doesn’t cope well. He has been using heroin and crack cocaine again”, Ms Frizzell said.
She confirmed his addiction to be in the region of £20 a day, on top of a Turning Point script of 50ml.
District Judge Joanna Dickens imposed an eight-month prison sentence, but suspended it for two years.
She said: “These were horrible, disgusting offences… the most serious thing you are here for is the photographs.
“It’s a cruel, malicious crime which is designed to humiliate and control… sharing sexual photographs online, albeit they were not the worse kind, was a very very serious offence.”
Accepting that Conduit would benefit from drug and relationship rehab, she imposed 25 activity days with probation and a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement.
Judge Dickens reserved breaches to her, stating: “Any breach of this order will result in you going to prison”.
She also imposed a two-year restraining order, prohibiting the defendant from contacting the victim or attending an address he knows her to be living.
