A FORMER firefighter has been sentenced for sending explicit photos of himself by Snapchat to three trainee colleagues, leaving them feeling “belittled, distressed and anxious”.

Alastair Iles, of Winchester Road, New Milton, was convicted of three offences of sending the messages between March 2020 and June 2021, which included images of him “engaging in sexualised behaviour”.

The 37-year-old was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work and 60 rehabilitation hours, as well as being handed a restraining order not to contact the three victims for three years and ordered to pay £620 court costs.

The court heard Iles had resigned from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service in “humiliating circumstances” after the charges.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, a female victim said: “After this, I lost a lot of trust in people, I found it difficult to initiate conversations with people.

“Beforehand I had a more bubbly personality, it has shut me off, it made me feel vulnerable, I couldn’t trust anyone any more, the anxiety made me want to be alone.”

One of two male victims said Iles always “had to be the most powerful person in the room”, and added he felt “belittled” by him, and the defendant had “damaged the reputation of the fire service we have all worked so hard to maintain”.

The third victim said: “The messages caused me some distress. When I attended an incident or worked with him I started to look over my shoulder in case he was about because I didn’t know what his intentions were.”

Will Day, defending, said Iles was of previous good character and added: “He does feel shame and has expressed some regret.”

Sentencing Iles, District Judge Anthony Callaway said: “The victims were not only colleagues at work but were also trainees.

“You have heard of the power of authority, and with authority comes responsibility and decency, and that has to be used not to exploit or humiliate others at work, and that means the trainees who looked at you to give them an example.”