People who maliciously share sexually explicit images of partners will face prosecution under new laws going through Parliament.

The distribution of private sexual images of individuals without their consent and with the intention of causing distress, referred to as "revenge porn," will be made a specific offence in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill.

The measures will cover the sharing of images both online and offline, meaning that images posted to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will be caught by the offence as well as those that are shared via SMS. Images shared via email, on a website or via the distribution of physical copies will also be punished. Those convicted will face a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

The offence will cover photographs or films that show people engaged in sexual activity or depicted in a sexual way. Victims will be able to report offences to the police to investigate, who in turn will work with the Crown Prosecution Service to take cases forward.

Those found to have committed a sexual offence can continue to be prosecuted under existing legislation, which can lead to sentences of up to 14 years in prison. The change in the law will be made via an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which includes a number of measures to strengthen existing sentencing provisions.