Laurence Fox Charged with Sexual Offence for Sharing Upskirt Photo of Fellow Broadcaster

By Dominica Bernhard

Laurence Fox, a former actor turned far-right commentator and politician, has been charged with a sexual offence following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. The charge stems from an incident in April 2024, when Fox allegedly posted an "upskirt" photograph of broadcaster Narinder Kaur on the social media platform X without her consent. The image, which Fox is accused of sharing amid a public spat over political differences, has sparked widespread outrage and legal action.

Narinder Kaur, a well-known television personality who regularly appears on Good Morning Britain and has featured on GB News, described the incident as "unimaginably mortifying." The compromising photograph, originally taken by paparazzi without Kaur’s knowledge or consent over 15 years ago, had previously been removed from photo agency archives after upskirting was criminalized in England and Wales in 2019. Fox’s decision to resurface and share the image reignited a firestorm of criticism, leading Kaur to report the matter to the authorities.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the charge today, stating, "Laurence Fox, 46, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on April 24 charged with an offence contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003." This section of the law pertains to voyeurism, including the distribution of intimate images with intent to cause distress, alarm, or humiliation. If convicted, Fox faces up to two years in prison and could be placed on the sex offenders register.

The incident unfolded when Fox, the founder of the Reclaim Party, posted the photo alongside a caption mocking Kaur’s criticism of another television personality, Leilani Dowding. Despite immediate backlash from fellow broadcasters and X users, Fox doubled down, defending his actions by claiming Kaur had mocked Dowding’s past and asserting it was "not my fault she forgot to put her pants on." The post remained online for several days before being deleted, but not before Kaur publicly expressed her distress, stating, "I’m so incredibly upset that people are looking at my privates and laughing."

Fox issued a partial apology the following day, saying he "would like to apologize" to Kaur, but quickly undermined it by shifting blame to the original circumstances of the photo’s creation. The apology did little to quell the controversy, and the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation that has now culminated in formal charges after nearly a year of inquiry.

This is not Fox’s first brush with legal trouble. In April 2024, he was ordered to pay £180,000 in damages after losing a High Court libel case for calling two individuals "paedophiles" on social media. His career has taken a sharp turn from his days as an actor—best known for his role in the ITV drama Lewis—to a polarizing figure in British politics and media. Fox was also sacked from GB News in October 2023 following an on-air rant about journalist Ava Evans, further cementing his reputation as a controversial provocateur.

Upskirting became a specific criminal offence in the UK under the Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019, aimed at protecting individuals from such invasive acts. The law not only prohibits taking such images but also criminalizes their distribution, as alleged in Fox’s case. The charge against him highlights the ongoing challenges of addressing online harassment and the misuse of compromising images in the digital age.

Kaur, who first rose to prominence on the second series of Big Brother, has received an outpouring of support from fans and colleagues since the incident. In May 2024, she thanked her followers on X, writing, "You will never know how much you are helping me pick myself back up." A friend of Kaur’s told The Mirror at the time, "Narinder deserves better than this. She’s worked tirelessly to make her voice heard in a male-dominated industry, and this setback is crushing."

As Fox prepares to face trial next month, the case underscores the serious legal and ethical ramifications of sharing non-consensual images. It also raises broader questions about accountability for public figures in an era where social media can amplify harm with a single post. For now, the spotlight remains on Fox and Kaur as the legal process unfolds, with the outcome likely to reverberate across media and political circles.

Dominica Bernhard is a freelance writer for Veritas Expositae.  You can reach her at dominica.bernhard@veritasexpositae.com