Cyberflashing, when offenders send unsolicited explicit images to people via an online platform, such as messaging applications and social media, became a crime in the UK in January 2023.
A YouGov poll found, external four in 10 women, aged 18 to 34, had received an unsolicited sexual photo from someone who was not a romantic partner.
Ms Downes said she chose to speak out to encourage others.
“It would be much easier for me to just become a statistic,” she said.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. I was just doing my job. Ben Gunnery chose to send me pornographic images. I did nothing to encourage that behaviour.
“Most men are not like this and this behaviour needs to be called out. It’s not something that I want my sons to think is normal.
“It’s very easy to feel some element of shame and keep it to yourself. But right from the word go, I was determined I wasn’t going to do that.”
Ms Downes said she was inspired to keep pushing the police to investigate her complaints by the experience of BBC correspondent Lucy Manning.
Lucy received sexually explicit phone calls from a stranger but her case was dropped by the police and only reopened after a Victims’ Right to Review was carried out.
After hearing Lucy interviewed on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show, Ms Downes said she became more determined to get justice.