Key facts
- Two men convicted in separate UK cases for posting explicit content on OnlyFans without consent.
- Alexander Tang uploaded intimate images and videos of a woman to OnlyFans for profit.
- Dean Holmes coerced a victim into creating an OnlyFans account and uploading explicit content.
- Tang received a suspended prison sentence, while Holmes was convicted of rape and faces sentencing.
- Domestic violence charities report an increase in cases where women are forced to create OnlyFans content for abusers.
Two men have been convicted in separate criminal cases in the UK for posting explicit content on the OnlyFans platform without the consent of the women involved. In the first case, Alexander Tang, 37, was found guilty of voyeurism after uploading 47 intimate images and four videos of a woman to OnlyFans without her permission, profiting from the material. His victim discovered the uploads after being contacted by men who believed they were interacting with her online.
Tang received a 26-week suspended prison sentence. His victim stated in court that she struggles daily with the knowledge of her intimate images and videos being circulated online by strangers.
In the second case, Dean Holmes, 43, was convicted of rape, assault, and controlling and coercive behavior. The court heard that Holmes coerced his victim into opening an OnlyFans account to generate income, pushing her to upload more explicit content than she was initially comfortable with. He operated the account from his phone, using her name.
Holmes pleaded guilty to assault and controlling and coercive behavior at the start of his trial and was found guilty of rape at the end of a four-day trial. He is due to be sentenced on September 25.
These cases follow warnings from domestic violence charities like Women's Aid and the Revenge Porn Helpline, which have reported instances of women being compelled to create content for OnlyFans and similar platforms to appease or generate income for abusive partners. Women's Aid noted that young women being coerced into setting up OnlyFans accounts for their partners is a common form of tech-facilitated abuse their teams are assisting with.