Filmmaker faces jail for using AI to manipulate photos of children

Police today warned of the 'horrifying' rise in artificial intelligence being hijacked by online abusers to fulfil their sickening fantasies after two predators admitted preying on children.

One-time budding film-maker Hugh Nelson, 27, faces being 'locked up for a number of years' after exploiting his skills to manipulate innocent photographs of real children into 'deepfake' scenes of nudity, rape and torture, a court heard today.

It came just a day after a second abuser, Karl Marshall, 47, was jailed for creating and sharing digitally altered pornographic images of children and women in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.

The disturbing cases come after the respected Internet Watch Foundation warned of the 'frightening' rate at which convincing examples of AI videos depicting the sexual abuse of children are being spread.

Over a 30-day period, its researchers found 3,512 images of child sex abuse made using artificial intelligence on a dark web forum.

CEO Susie Hargreaves called for governments and the tech industry to work together on 'proper controls' to stop the technology being used to provide 'a playground for online predators to realise their most perverse and sickening fantasies'.

Nelson graduated from Salford University with a first-class degree in professional sound and video technology before studying for an MA wildlife documentary production, according to his website.

While still a teenager, he was selected to take part in a film-making academy run by the British Film Institute.

He also did work experience on the Jeremy Kyle Show's sound department, according to his Instagram page.

But in a vile sideline he used widely available AI technology to turn photographs of real children into scenes of physical and sexual abuse before selling the images online, making around £5,000.

He also exchanged messages in chatrooms that were capable of encouraging the rape of children, Bolton Crown Court heard today.

After being exposed in an undercover police operation, Nelson admitted his 'mind was corrupted'.

In what police say is a 'landmark' case, Nelson swapped messages with paedophiles in France, Italy and the US and created indecent images of children for them - some purporting to be their young relatives.

He also discussed carrying out depraved child sexual abuse, although no evidence has been found that any children had actually been sexually abused.

David Toal, prosecuting, said Nelson had started messaging a man called Chris who he was unaware was an undercover police officer.

Nelson sent him eight computer generated images of child sexual abuse, saying he charged £80 to create a new character.

'I've done beatings, smotherings, hangings, drownings, beheadings, necro, beast, the list goes on', he told the officer with a laughing emoji.

In a later repulsive chat, Nelson said 'most of the people who commission me don't/can't f*** their nieces, daughters etc, so the way I see it is I provide a valuable service,' alongside a smiling emoji with a halo.

Nelson used a popular virtual modelling program called Daz 3D to create explicit computer-generated images plus an AI plug-in to add the faces of real children.

He was arrested in June 2023 when a large quantity of indecent images were found on his devices.

They included 808 Category A - the worst type - 424 Category B and 456 Category C.

During a police interview, Nelson admitted he 'felt vile' and his 'mind was corrupted'.

He pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to 16 charges, including three counts of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of the rape of a child under 13, ten counts of either making or distributing indecent images and one count of attempting to cause a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

He also pleaded guilty to publishing an obscene article and one count of possessing prohibited images of children.

Robert Elias, defending, described Nelson as a 'shy, gauche man' who had 'plunged down a rabbit hole' into a 'fantasy life'.

He said Nelson 'accepts he will be locked up for a number of years'.

Nelson, of Egerton, Bolton, will be sentenced next week.

Detective Constable Carly Baines, from Greater Manchester Police's Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, who led the investigation into Nelson, described it as a 'particularly unique and deeply horrifying' case.

Jeanette Smith, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said: 'The misuse of emerging technology to create this material is a serious crime which can have a traumatic impact on victims.

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'Real children are being victimised through the creation of this content, and in some instances, children who have already suffered abhorrent sexual abuse are having their image used again to recreate new abuse scenarios upon the request and demand from dark corners of the internet.'

The case comes after Marshall, from Southport, was jailed for two years and two months yesterday at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting creating explicit 'deepfakes' of women and children.

He pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child, sharing a photograph or film of a person in an intimate state for the purpose of sexual gratification and voyeurism.

In a victim impact statement, one of the women who Marshall used to create pornographic images said: 'Knowing those images of me are out there circulating the internet is so violating.

'It was like I was just a piece of meat he could objectify.'

A second woman said: 'I feel unsafe in my own skin. No one touched me yet I feel violated and used.'

In a statement, Daz 3D said its user licence agreement prohibited its use for the creation of images involving child sexual exploitation.

It added: 'We condemn the misuse of any software, including ours, for such purposes, and we are committed to continuously improving our ability to prevent it.'