The jailing of a Nelson man for sending a "disturbing video" to a woman via Facebook sends a strong warning about online harassment, police say.
Aaron Stephen Tamihana, 28, was sentenced to 11 months in prison at the Nelson District Court on Monday.
Charges were brought against Tamihana under the Harmful Digital Communication Act, which came into effect in July last year.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Johnston says Tamihana's sentence shows the justice system took the offending seriously.
"People need to think very seriously about what they are posting in any digital media forum, and if the intention is to cause harm to another person the consequences could be very serious, as we have seen here."
The legislation aims to deter harm caused through digital means such as email, social media and texting.
Offensive language with intention to cause emotional harm is enough to have charges laid.
Those charged under the Act can be jailed for up to two years or fined $50,000.
Newshub.
