A court in Dakar has delivered its verdict in a voyeurism and blackmail case that has rocked the Senegalese capital. A delivery driver was sentenced to one year in prison for recording intimate images of his mother-in-law before attempting to extort money from her.

A trap set within the privacy of the family

The incident took place at the victim's home. Taking advantage of his close relationship with the family—he is the partner of the complainant's daughter—the man hid his cell phone in the bathroom. His goal: to film his mother-in-law without her knowledge while she was undressing.

Once he had obtained the video, the defendant moved on to the second stage of his plan: blackmail . He threatened to release the compromising images to the victim if she did not give in to his financial demands.

The firm response from the justice system

Alerted by the victim, the police quickly arrested the suspect and seized his phone, a key piece of evidence in the case. During the trial, the judges showed no leniency in the face of what they described as a "serious attack on human dignity."

The court upheld two main charges:

1. Violation of privacy
2. Attempted extortion

In addition to his prison sentence, the convicted man will have to pay damages to the plaintiff.

A growing phenomenon in Senegal

This conviction comes as Senegal faces a worrying rise in cases of "sextortion" and digital voyeurism. Similar cases have recently been reported in the following locations:

1. Pikine-Guédiawaye
2. Diamaguène

These repeated incidents are prompting authorities to take a tougher stance against the malicious use of new technologies to violate citizens' privacy.