A former Warburtons worker sent explicit photographs to the daughter of his former lover.

Remecias Mariyathas, 48, claimed in a basis of plea that he had only sent the images in November 2021 after his ex-mistress went to his home and showed his wife and son ‘naked pictures’ of him that she had. Both the defendant and victim were married at the time of their affair.

“In anger I sent her picture to her daughter,” he said in the written basis of plea, which was read to the court by defence barrister Kellie Enever.

On Thursday, Oxford Crown Court heard that the victim had been left feeling suicidal after the private pictures were sent to her daughter.

Mariyathas, of Bankside, Banbury, pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court to disclosing a private photograph with intent to cause distress. The charge is sometimes called 'revenge pornography'. 

In mitigation, Ms Enever said her client was a carer for his disabled son. In a pre-sentence report, Mariyathas came across as ‘polite’ and the probation service said they would be able to offer the ‘thinking skills’ programme to help with his consequential thinking.

The defendant was said to have lost his job at the Warburton’s factory in Banbury after police arrested him at work in late 2021.

Recorder Shamim Qureshi sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment suspended for a year-and-a-half.

He must do 60 hours of unpaid work, 30 rehabilitation days with the probation service and pay £420 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The judge said: “It might be one thing to send pictures to the actual victim themselves because that, obviously, has an effect on them.

“But here you chose to send the photographs to her daughter and that would be distressing again for anybody regardless of their community or ethnicity or country they come from.

“Because of the small nature of the community and because word does spread somehow, this victim ended up in a situation where she has in the words of her daughter, felt ashamed, embarrassed and then felt suicidal as well.”

He added: “You intended to cause maximum humiliation for her by sending pictures to her daughter rather than to the victim herself.”

A restraining order bans Mariyathas from contacting his victim or her daughter for two years. He must not publish any image of his former mistress or post such images online.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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