Since 2017, after two men took a picture up her skirt while at the British SummerTime festival in Hyde Park, freelance writer Gina Martin has fought to make upskirting a criminal offence.

Now, after facing multiple hurdles, legislation has been passed to make it illegal in England and Wales.

The new legislation, approved in the House of Lords on Tuesday 15 January, will be introduced in the next couple of months and will see offenders face up to two years in jail. Some may also be added to the Sex Offenders’ Register.

“Eighteen months ago I was upskirted at a music festival and I decided I wasn’t going to brush it off,” Martin said after the bill was approved.

“I was tired of ‘ignoring it’. I felt this was wrong and I was astounded to learn that upskirting wasn’t a sexual offence. I wanted to change this for everyone, because the least we deserve is to be able to wear what we want without non-consensual photos being taken of us.”

Finally, upskirting will now be a criminal offence