Man avoids jail after hacking his ex's Facebook

A man has avoided a prison sentence for hacking Facebook after admitting posting offensive content.

The 30-year-old was acquitted by a panel last month of the rape, which he allegedly carried out at her home, on the same day he posted the abusive content on her account.

It is the first criminal prosecution involving the hacking of a social media. The man is charged under the Criminal Damage Act 1991, which carries a maximum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of €10,000. The judge asked how the damage should be assessed, since there was no physical breach. Counsel for the Attorney General’s Office replied that it had more in common with harassment than with a criminal offence.