LONDON — A man who shared explicit photos on WhatsApp of his ex-girlfriend has been jailed for 12 weeks, becoming the first person in Britain to be prosecuted for posting revenge porn.

Luke King, 21, posted the intimate image of his former girlfriend as the profile photo on his WhatsApp account.

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King had previously pleaded guilty to the offense, which occurred on Aug. 8, and was sentenced Friday morning in Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court.

The woman, from Derbyshire, who hasn't been named for legal reasons, told police she was "disgusted" and "really upset" by the ordeal, BBC News reported. She added that she had sent the images to King for his eyes only.

The ex-girlfriend had contacted police to tell them King had threatened to post the photos, but despite this warning, King uploaded the photos to WhatsApp.

"The probation officer calls it pernicious and intended to cause maximum humiliation," District Judge Andrew Davison said. He said he regarded the sharing of the photo as a despicable and significant breach of trust.

"She sent them to you in complete confidence... it doesn't give you any excuse whatsoever to post this type of intimate photograph together with the abusive and offense remarks you posted."

This is the first case following new guidelines that were introduced last month clarifying how existing legislation could be used to prosecute people who post revenge porn.

"I would like to thank the victim for her courage in bringing this matter to the attention of the authorities and her support in bringing Luke King to justice," District Crown Prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service East Midlands, Peter Shergill, said.

"This is the first case of its kind in Derbyshire since the new guidelines came into effect and is a sharp reminder that these offenses will be taken seriously and we will use a range of legislation to secure justice for its victims."

King was prosecuted under existing laws, however other perpetrators could face tougher sentences under new laws being introduced to tackle revenge porn.

An amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill would see people convicted for sharing revenge porn via social networks, text messages, email, websites or physical copies being jailed for up to two years. The bill is currently going through parliament.