Man who had sex with vomiting teen who killed herself after he shared picture avoids jail

The judge in the case said the man had treated 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons as 'no more than a prop for his enjoyment'

A man who shared a picture of himself having sex with a vomiting 15-year-old girl who later committed suicide has avoided jail.

Rehtaeh Parsons was taken off life support after she attempted to hang herself after being tormented by those who viewed the image. She was 17 when she died.

Judge Gregory Lenehan said the 20-year-old man had displayed “absolutely no respect for Rehtaeh” who he treated as “no more than a prop for his enjoyment” .

At a court in Nova Scotia, Canada, he sentenced the man, who cannot be named because he was underage at the time of the incident, to 12 months probation for sharing the image.

The man also faces separate charges of assault and making death threats.

Speaking in an impact statement, Rehtaeh’s mother Leah said: “Her voice was not heard when she struggled to be heard, but it sure is now,’ said Rehtaeh’s mother Leah in a victim impact statement.

“I was unable to console her as she crumbled emotionally after that photo was taken.”

The man said he cried when he first heard Rehtaeh died. The judge replied that he “should have been crying when she was alive”.

Another 20-year-old man charged in the case, whose identity is also protected, was given a conditional discharge in November after he pleaded guilty to making child pornography by taking the photo of the accused.

The man said that he did not expect the photo to be shared among people.