AI paedophile gets 24-year sentence in landmark case

PERVERT TURNED REAL CHILDREN INTO 3D CHARACTERS'

- NICOLE WOOTTON-CANE

A DEPRAVED paedophile who used AI to create computer generated indecent images of real children has been jailed in a ‘landmark’ case.

Hugh Nelson, from Bolton, took ‘commissions’ from relatives and family friends of children as young as four, charging them £80 to turn a real, legitimate image of a child into a 3D modelling ‘character’ using AI face transfer. This ‘character’ could then be posed and adapted however they wished.

In a sentencing hearing at Bolton Crown Court, Nelson was jailed for 18 years, plus six years on licence, after previously pleading guilty to 16 offences.

Appearing over video link from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Nelson showed no emotion as his sentence was handed down.

Prosecuting at a previous hearing last week, David Toal said Nelson began speaking to a law enforcement officer called ‘Chris’ over a site called Matrix, where the defendant was using the handle ‘SweetDemons’.

The two began to talk online after Chris messaged Nelson asking what kind of content he created.