U of A swimmers' photos altered offensively, posted online
CBC News
Posted: Sep 12, 2012 7:53 PM MT
Last Updated: Sep 12, 2012 9:45 PM MT
Some University of Alberta swimmers are asking for an investigation after photos of them were posted online and altered to have sexually explicit comments.
The photos in question were taken from social media websites, like Facebook. They were altered to include sexually explicit captions and were passed around online.
A few of the swimmers were under 18 when the photos were taken.
“It was a nightmare,” said a former U of A swim team member. “One picture led to six more and six more. There was really no indication of where it started and where it ended. It was just picture after picture. It was disgusting and it’s mortifying.”
CBC News agreed to conceal all identities due to safety concerns.
The names of some of the swimmers were posted in the captions.
“They didn’t deserve this, none of us did,” she said. “And the integrity of all of them has been compromised through this. I hope things are done that’s going to set things straight and I hope this doesn’t reflect negatively on them.”
The women have now launched a formal complaint to their coach, campus security and the police. They claim a former teammate is a suspect, adding he admitted to being responsible when they confronted him.
CBC News spoke with the Edmonton man the women believe was behind the postings. He said that while he admitted he altered the photos when the women asked him directly, he was wrong.
He now says the website account on which the photos were found does not belong to him and he only shared photos through social media but didn’t add the offensive captions.
The man added that the incident resulted in him losing his job with a local swim organization.
The U of A swim coach has confirmed that he received a formal complaint but would not give further details at this time.
Police say there is no formal investigation underway.
With files from Marion WarnicaShare Tools
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