A MAN who harassed a woman shared a video of her performing a sex act in a social media chat group has been jailed,

Burnley Crown Court heard how 31-year-old Aaron Lee McGinty also shared a naked photograph of his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in the same chat group in a so-called revenge porn attack.

Prosecuting, Stephen Parker described how McGinty would behave unusually around the woman and say things like ‘he was being paid money to go and kill somebody’.

The interaction then turned violent when McGinty, of Russell Terrace, Padiham, punched one of the victim’s female work friends in the back as she got into a taxi in Burnley town centre.

Following that incident McGinty sent the victim a text message saying he was going to burn the victim’s place of work down and ‘kill her friend with a machete’.

Mr Parker said te then sent the woman a picture of a machine gun over social media with the caption ‘about to go full auto on some *****.”

Over the following days and weeks he sent the woman a series of harassing text messages asking her for forgiveness and asking where she was. He also bombarded a Facebook chat group with messages about her and asked the victim’s friends to contact her on his behalf.

Mr Parker said McGinty sent the woman a photograph of himself with a noose around his neck.

She contacted the emergency services and when paramedics arrived they discovered he had taken drugs and was asphyxiated.

After he was discharged from hospital McGinty rang his victim saying he was going to kill himself. That led the police to launch a missing persons appeal over concerns for McGinty’s safety. When he was eventually found he rang the victim shouting abuse, saying he hadn’t been missing and she had ‘ruined a date she was on’.

McGinty then shared a naked photograph of the victim on the chat group. A man in the same chat group later sent her a link to the video McGinty had shared of her performing a private act.

Mr Parker said that the victim told the police: “I am living in fear of Aaron McGinty. I have been harassed by him. All because I haven’t given into his manipulation.”

McGinty, who works as a mechanic, pleaded guilty to disclosing a private sexual photograph or film, harassment and assault by beating.

Defending, Richard Prewe said: “There is much information in the pre-sentence report and the psychiatric report. It demonstrates the defendant Jekyll and Hyde character. When he is under the influence of drugs and alcohol he becomes a completely different person.”

Sentencing McGinty to nine months imprisonment, Recorder Thomas Ryan said: “There is no doubt this offence passes the custody threshold. There is no alternative but to send you to prison. The effect on your victim is likely to be long-term.”

A two-year restraining order was also put in place.