British Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Using AI to Create Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

Man Imprisoned for 18 Years for Using AI to Do Disgusting Thing to Photos of Children

"There seems to be no limit to the depths of depravity exhibited in the images." A British man has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for using artificial intelligence to transform real photos of children into disgusting sexual abuse imagery. As The Guardian reports, the prosecution of 27-year-old Hugh Nelson is one of the first of its kind for the United Kingdom. After investigators caught wind of the Manchester-area man's scheme, which involved using the AI-enhanced image editing software Daz 3D to create pedophilic "artwork," he was convicted on August of 16 charges related to child sexual abuse. In some of the instances prosecutors highlighted during his trial, Nelson even took commissions from pedophiles he met in chatrooms who supplied him with photos of real children that they wanted to be transformed into abuse imagery. As the report notes, he made about 5,000 pounds, or roughly $6,486 USD, for the images. "There seems to be no limit to the depths of depravity exhibited in the images that you were prepared to create and exhibit to others," Nelson's prosecuting judge, Martin Walsh, said during the trial. Along with creating and selling the horrendous images, the man also encouraged others to rape children -- and Walsh said it's "impossible to know" whether any real-life children had been abused due to his prodding. Nelson was brought to justice, The Guardian explains, after an undercover officer posing as a pedophile contacted him in one of the chatrooms he frequented and supplied him with pictures, a fake commission request, and about $100 to execute the imagery. "He stated: 'I've done beatings, smotherings, hangings, drownings, beheadings, necro, beast, the list goes on' with a laughing emoji," prosecutor David Toal said during the trial. After his arrest in June 2023, Nelson cried repentance. "He said he felt vile and that his mind was corrupted," the prosecutor added. "He considered that his offending had got out of control." Notably, Nelson isn't the first person in the UK to be prosecuted for making abusive imagery using AI. As The Guardian reported earlier this year, a 17-year-old from the Welsh town of Denbighshire was convicted in February under the UK's old laws about the creation of "pseudo photographs" after being found with hundreds of "extreme" child sex abuse images using AI. Strangely enough, that conviction wasn't reported until months later as an addendum to an article about an adult sex offender who'd been barred from using AI tools without police permission. Around the world, we're beginning to see more and more of these kinds of cases. As they move through the courts, we'll start seeing more prosecutions.

British man sentenced to 18 years for using AI to make child sexual abuse imagery

LONDON (AP) -- A British man who used artificial intelligence to create images of child abuse was sent to prison for 18 years on Monday. The court sentenced Hugh Nelson, 27, after he pleaded guilty to a number of sexual offenses including making and distributing indecent images of children and distributing "indecent pseudo photographs of children." He also admitted to encouraging the rape of a child. Nelson took commissions from people in online chatrooms for custom explicit images of children being harmed both sexually and physically. Police in Manchester, in northern England, said he used AI software from a U.S. company, Daz 3D, that has an "AI function" to generate images that he both sold to online buyers and gave away for free. The police force said it was a landmark case for its online child abuse investigation team. The company said the licensing agreement for its Daz Studio 3D rendering software prohibits its use for creating images that "violate child pornography or child sexual exploitation laws, or are otherwise harmful to minors." "We condemn the misuse of any software, including ours, for such purposes, and we are committed to continuously improving our ability to prevent it," Daz 3D said in a statement, adding that its policy is to assist law enforcement "as needed." Bolton Crown Court, near Manchester, heard that Nelson, who has a master's degree in graphics, also used images of real children for some of his computer-generated artwork. Judge Martin Walsh said it was impossible to determine whether a child was sexually abused as a result of his images but Nelson intended to encourage others to commit child rape and had "no idea" how his images would be used. Nelson, who had no previous convictions, was arrested last year. He told police he had met like-minded people on the internet and eventually began to create images for sale. Prosecutor Jeanette Smith said outside court that it was "extremely disturbing" that Nelson was able to "take normal photographs of children and, using AI tools and a computer program, transform them and create images of the most depraved nature to sell and share online." Prosecutors have said the case stemmed from an investigation into AI and child sexual exploitation while police said it presented a test of existing legislation because using computer programs the way Nelson did is so new that it isn't specifically mentioned in current U.K. law. The case mirrors similar efforts by U.S. law enforcement to crack down on a troubling spread of child sexual abuse imagery created through artificial intelligence technology -- from manipulated photos of real children to graphic depictions of computer-generated kids. The Justice Department recently brought what's believed to be the first federal case involving purely AI-generated imagery -- meaning the children depicted are not real but virtual.

British man sentenced to 18 years for using AI to make child sexual abuse imagery

LONDON -- A British man who used artificial intelligence to create images of child abuse was sent to prison for 18 years on Monday. The court sentenced Hugh Nelson, 27, after he pleaded guilty to a number of sexual offenses including making and distributing indecent images of children and distributing "indecent pseudo photographs of children." He also admitted to encouraging the rape of a child. Nelson took commissions from people in online chatrooms for custom explicit images of children being harmed both sexually and physically. Police in Manchester, in northern England, said he used AI software from a U.S. company, Daz 3D, that has an "AI function" to generate images that he both sold to online buyers and gave away for free. The police force said it was a landmark case for its online child abuse investigation team. The company said the licensing agreement for its Daz Studio 3D rendering software prohibits its use for creating images that "violate child pornography or child sexual exploitation laws, or are otherwise harmful to minors." "We condemn the misuse of any software, including ours, for such purposes, and we are committed to continuously improving our ability to prevent it," Daz 3D said in a statement, adding that its policy is to assist law enforcement "as needed." Bolton Crown Court, near Manchester, heard that Nelson, who has a master's degree in graphics, also used images of real children for some of his computer-generated artwork. Judge Martin Walsh said it was impossible to determine whether a child was sexually abused as a result of his images but Nelson intended to encourage others to commit child rape and had "no idea" how his images would be used. Nelson, who had no previous convictions, was arrested last year. He told police he had met like-minded people on the internet and eventually began to create images for sale. Prosecutor Jeanette Smith said outside court that it was "extremely disturbing" that Nelson was able to "take normal photographs of children and, using AI tools and a computer program, transform them and create images of the most depraved nature to sell and share online." Prosecutors have said the case stemmed from an investigation into AI and child sexual exploitation while police said it presented a test of existing legislation because using computer programs the way Nelson did is so new that it isn't specifically mentioned in current U.K. law. The case mirrors similar efforts by U.S. law enforcement to crack down on a troubling spread of child sexual abuse imagery created through artificial intelligence technology -- from manipulated photos of real children to graphic depictions of computer-generated kids. The Justice Department recently brought what's believed to be the first federal case involving purely AI-generated imagery -- meaning the children depicted are not real but virtual.

British man sentenced to 18 years for using AI to make child sexual abuse imagery

LONDON (AP) -- A British man who used artificial intelligence to create images of child abuse was sent to prison for 18 years on Monday. The court sentenced Hugh Nelson, 27, after he pleaded guilty to a number of sexual offenses including making and distributing indecent images of children and distributing "indecent pseudo photographs of children." He also admitted to encouraging the rape of a child. Nelson took commissions from people in online chatrooms for custom explicit images of children being harmed both sexually and physically. Police in Manchester, in northern England, said he used AI software from a U.S. company, Daz 3D, that has an "AI function" to generate images that he both sold to online buyers and gave away for free. The police force said it was a landmark case for its online child abuse investigation team. The company said the licensing agreement for its Daz Studio 3D rendering software prohibits its use for creating images that "violate child pornography or child sexual exploitation laws, or are otherwise harmful to minors." "We condemn the misuse of any software, including ours, for such purposes, and we are committed to continuously improving our ability to prevent it," Daz 3D said in a statement, adding that its policy is to assist law enforcement "as needed." Bolton Crown Court, near Manchester, heard that Nelson, who has a master's degree in graphics, also used images of real children for some of his computer-generated artwork. Judge Martin Walsh said it was impossible to determine whether a child was sexually abused as a result of his images but Nelson intended to encourage others to commit child rape and had "no idea" how his images would be used. Nelson, who had no previous convictions, was arrested last year. He told police he had met like-minded people on the internet and eventually began to create images for sale. Prosecutor Jeanette Smith said outside court that it was "extremely disturbing" that Nelson was able to "take normal photographs of children and, using AI tools and a computer program, transform them and create images of the most depraved nature to sell and share online." Prosecutors have said the case stemmed from an investigation into AI and child sexual exploitation while police said it presented a test of existing legislation because using computer programs the way Nelson did is so new that it isn't specifically mentioned in current U.K. law. The case mirrors similar efforts by U.S. law enforcement to crack down on a troubling spread of child sexual abuse imagery created through artificial intelligence technology -- from manipulated photos of real children to graphic depictions of computer-generated kids. The Justice Department recently brought what's believed to be the first federal case involving purely AI-generated imagery -- meaning the children depicted are not real but virtual.

British Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Using AI to Make Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

LONDON (AP) -- A British man who used artificial intelligence to create images of child abuse was sent to prison for 18 years on Monday. The court sentenced Hugh Nelson, 27, after he pleaded guilty to a number of sexual offenses including making and distributing indecent images of children and distributing "indecent pseudo photographs of children." He also admitted to encouraging the rape of a child. Nelson took commissions from people in online chatrooms for custom explicit images of children being harmed both sexually and physically. Police in Manchester, in northern England, said he used AI software from a U.S. company, Daz 3D, that has an "AI function" to generate images that he both sold to online buyers and gave away for free. The police force said it was a landmark case for its online child abuse investigation team. The company said the licensing agreement for its Daz Studio 3D rendering software prohibits its use for creating images that "violate child pornography or child sexual exploitation laws, or are otherwise harmful to minors." "We condemn the misuse of any software, including ours, for such purposes, and we are committed to continuously improving our ability to prevent it," Daz 3D said in a statement, adding that its policy is to assist law enforcement "as needed." Bolton Crown Court, near Manchester, heard that Nelson, who has a master's degree in graphics, also used images of real children for some of his computer-generated artwork. Judge Martin Walsh said it was impossible to determine whether a child was sexually abused as a result of his images but Nelson intended to encourage others to commit child rape and had "no idea" how his images would be used. Nelson, who had no previous convictions, was arrested last year. He told police he had met like-minded people on the internet and eventually began to create images for sale. Prosecutor Jeanette Smith said outside court that it was "extremely disturbing" that Nelson was able to "take normal photographs of children and, using AI tools and a computer program, transform them and create images of the most depraved nature to sell and share online." Prosecutors have said the case stemmed from an investigation into AI and child sexual exploitation while police said it presented a test of existing legislation because using computer programs the way Nelson did is so new that it isn't specifically mentioned in current U.K. law. The case mirrors similar efforts by U.S. law enforcement to crack down on a troubling spread of child sexual abuse imagery created through artificial intelligence technology -- from manipulated photos of real children to graphic depictions of computer-generated kids. The Justice Department recently brought what's believed to be the first federal case involving purely AI-generated imagery -- meaning the children depicted are not real but virtual. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Man Jailed for 18 Years for Making AI-Generated Child Abuse Images

A man, who used AI to create child abuse images using photographs of real children, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. Hugh Nelson from Bolton, U.K. earned just under $6,500 (£5,000) selling AI child abuse images over an 18-month period. On Monday, Nelson was convicted of 16 child sexual abuse offenses and jailed for 18 years in a landmark case. According to The Guardian, Nelson had used Daz 3D, a computer program with an AI function, to turn real photographs of children into sexual abuse imagery -- before selling them on an internet forum used by artists. Nelson would then charge his network of pedophiles $104 (£80) for a new "character." After that, he would charge was $13 (£10) per image to animate them in different, explicit positions. In a year and a half, Nelson admits he made around $6,495 (£5,000) from selling these images. In some cases, pedophiles commissioned the images from Nelson, supplying photographs of children with whom they had contact in real life. Nelson was caught after he told an undercover police officer in an online chatroom that he charged $104 (£80) to create a new character, using supplied pictures. Nelson pleaded guilty to various counts of making, possessing, and distributing indecent images of children and three counts of encouraging the rape of a child under the age of 13. Nelson was sentenced to 18 years in jail and was placed on the U.K. sex offenders register. Several pedophiles have recently been sent to prison in the U.K. for using AI to create child abuse images. However, in Nelson's case, U.K. police were able to link the AI images he generated to real children for the first time. The children who he was sent pictures of were reportedly based in France, Italy, and the U.S. Police officers in these countries were passed information about Nelson's offenses and more arrests have been made. "This is one of the first cases of its kind that demonstrates a link between people like Nelson, who are creating computer-generated images using technology, and the real-life offending that goes on behind that," Jeanette Smith, a specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, tells Sky News. Last month, PetaPixel reported on an alleged pedophile who was arrested after he used a GoPro to film kids at Disney World in order to create thousands of AI child abuse images.

Man who used AI to create child abuse images jailed for 18 years

Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, jailed after transforming normal pictures of children into sexual abuse imagery A man who used AI to create child abuse images using photographs of real children has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. In the first prosecution of its kind in the country, Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, was convicted of 16 child sexual abuse offences in August, after an investigation by Greater Manchester police (GMP). Nelson had used Daz 3D, a computer programme with an AI function, to transform "normal" images of children into sexual abuse imagery, Greater Manchester police said. In some cases, paedophiles had commissioned the images, supplying photographs of children with whom they had contact in real life. He was also found guilty of encouraging other offenders to commit rape. He sold his images in internet chatrooms, where he also discussed child sexual abuse with other offenders, making about £5,000 during an 18-month period by selling the images online. While there have been previous convictions for "deepfakes", which typically involve one face being transferred to another body, Nelson created 3D "characters" from innocent photographs. Sentencing Nelson at Bolton crown court on Monday, judge Martin Walsh said it was "impossible to know" if children had been raped as a result of his images. Walsh said Nelson had no regard for the harm caused by distributing the "harrowing and sickening" material. He added: "There seems to be no limit to the depths of depravity exhibited in the images that you were prepared to create and exhibit to others." Nelson was caught after he told an undercover police officer in an online chatroom that he charged £80 to create a new character, using supplied pictures, Bolton crown court heard. "He stated: 'I've done beatings, smotherings, hangings, drownings, beheadings, necro, beast, the list goes on' with a laughing emoji," David Toal, for the prosecution, said. The court heard that Nelson was arrested in June last year. "He said he felt vile and that his mind was corrupted," Toal said. "He considered that his offending had got out of control," he added. Police searches of his devices also revealed that Nelson had exchanged messages with three separate individuals, encouraging the rape of children under 13. During the course of the investigation, officers identified suspects and victims worldwide, including in Italy, France and the US. Nelson was later found guilty of encouraging the rape of a child under 13, attempting to incite a boy under 16 to engage in a sexual act, distributing and making indecent images, and possessing prohibited images. Nelson appeared in the dock wearing a waistcoat and tie. He waved to his parents in the public gallery as he came into court, but sat with his head down for most of the hearing. Defending Nelson, Robert Elias told the court he had lived a "lonely bedroom life in his parents' home". "What he was seeking primarily was validation, congratulations and a sense of belonging in a community. He was earning relatively small amounts of money and desperately wanted validation. "He plunged down the rabbit hole to this sort of fantasy life and became completely engrossed in it. He has brought his life crashing down around him, to the shock and horror of his immediate family." "It is extremely disturbing that Hugh Nelson was able to take normal photographs of children and, using AI tools and a computer programme, transform them and create images of the most depraved nature to sell and share online," Jeanette Smith, specialist prosecutor for the CPS, said. "Technology is rapidly evolving and, unfortunately, so too is its risk to children. I hope this conviction sends a clear message to those who exploit this technology and inflict harm on children: you will be robustly pursued by law enforcement, prosecuted by the CPS and brought to justice." AI sexual abuse images are presenting new challenges in policing, with other forces turning to GMP for support with new investigations. "The reason [this case] was very different is because it challenges the kind of view of what an indecent image of a child is," DCI Jen Tattersall of GMP's sex offender management unit said. She added: "The computer-generated imagery trend is now becoming more prevalent, not only in GMP - but in other forces," she added, saying that in the last week, detectives had begun investigations into two new cases involving computer-generated images. "So at some point that is going to not be the exception any more, and it's going to be the norm." The Nelson case was "the first to really test" the law around indecent images that had been digitally manipulated, she said, and GMP had worked with specialists at the CPS and the National Crime Agency to secure the prosecution. As well as advances in technology, changes in behaviour in recent years have made policing the internet offences more difficult. "Covid has had a massive effect in the online space," Tattersall said. "A lot more people are online." "The amount of platforms has just massively increased, so that's a real challenge," she added. While AI can present opportunities for law enforcement, Tattersall said, the increasingly sophisticated technology also presents a significant threat for police forces, particularly as there is a risk that it may evolve faster than existing criminal legislation. She added: "The reality is, it is going to represent a real challenge for us just because of how easy it is to do, and how easy it is to manipulate an image that is really innocent, and make it into something that is really abusive and indecent." However, she said the Nelson case "sends a clear message to criminals that you might use technology, and manipulate things, and test the flex of the law, but actually we are still going to prosecute you. We're going to put you in prison".

Man who used AI to create child abuse images jailed for 18 years in UK

A man who used artificial intelligence technology to create child sexual abuse imagery was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Monday, in a landmark prosecution over deepfakes in the UK. Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, pleaded guilty to a total of 16 child sexual abuse offences, including transforming everyday photographs of real children into sexual abuse material using AI tools from US software provider Daz 3D. He also admitted encouraging others to commit sexual offences on children. At Bolton Crown Court, Judge Martin Walsh imposed an extended sentence on Nelson, saying he posed a "significant risk" of causing harm to the public. That means Nelson will not be eligible for parole until he has completed two-thirds of his sentence. Advances in AI mean fake images have become more realistic and easier to create, prompting experts to warn about a rise in computer-generated indecent images of children. Jeanette Smith, a prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service's Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said Nelson's case set a new precedent for how computer-generated images and indecent and explicit deepfakes could be prosecuted. "This case is one of the first of its kind but we do expect to see more as the technology evolves," said Smith. Greater Manchester Police found both real images of children and computer-generated images of child sexual abuse on Nelson's devices, which were seized last June. The computer-generated images did not look exactly like real photographs but could be classified as "indecent photographs", rather than "prohibited images", which generally carry a lesser sentence. This was possible, Smith said, because investigators were able to demonstrate they were derived from images of real children sent to Nelson. Nelson in August admitted to creating and selling bespoke images of child sexual abuse tailored to customers' specific requests. He generated digital models of the children using real photographs that his customers had submitted. Police also said he further distributed the images he had created online, both for free and for payment. It comes as both the tech industry and regulators are grappling with the far-reaching social impacts of generative AI. Companies such as Google, Meta and X have been scrambling to tackle deepfakes on their platforms. Graeme Biggar, director-general of the UK's National Crime Agency, last year warned it had begun seeing hyper-realistic images and videos of child sexual abuse generated by AI. He added that viewing this kind of material, whether real or computer-generated, "materially increases the risk of offenders moving on to sexually abusing children themselves". Greater Manchester Police's specialist online child abuse investigation team said computer-generated images had become an common feature of their investigations. "This case has been a real test of the legislation, as using computer programmes in this particular way is so new to this type of offending and isn't specifically mentioned within current UK law," detective constable Carly Baines said when Nelson pleaded guilty in August. The UK's Online Safety Act, which passed last October, makes it illegal to disseminate non-consensual pornographic deepfakes. But Nelson was prosecuted under existing child abuse law. Smith said that as AI image generation improved, it would become increasingly challenging to differentiate between different types of images. "That line between whether it's a photograph or whether it's a computer-generated image will blur," she said. Daz 3D, the company that created the software used by Nelson, said that its user licence agreement "prohibits its use for the creation of images that violate child pornography or child sexual exploitation laws, or are otherwise harmful to minors" and said it was "committed to continuously improving" its ability to prevent the use of its software for such purposes.

U.K. man who used AI to create child sexual abuse imagery sentenced to 18 years in prison

In what some are describing as a landmark case, a U.K. man who used AI to turn normal pictures of children into sexual abuse imagery has been sentenced to 18 years in jail. Hugh Nelson, a 27-year-old from Bolton, used the app Daz 3D to create 3D "characters" from innocent photographs of kids. In some cases, people had commissioned the images, the Guardian reports, supplying photos of children with whom they had contact in real life. Nelson sold the commissioned child sexual abuse images on online forums, making about £5,000 (~$6,494) over 18 months. He was caught after telling an undercover cop he charged £80 (~$103) to create a new character using supplied pictures. Nelson was later found guilty of encouraging the rape of a child under 13, attempting to incite a boy under 16 to engage in a sexual act, distributing and making indecent images, and possessing prohibited images.

UK man gets 18 years in prison for using AI to generate CSAM

A UK man who used AI to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has been sentenced to 18 years in prison, . Hugh Nelson, 27, created the images by using photographs of real children, which were then manipulated by AI. Nelson was convicted of 16 child sexual abuse offenses back in August, after a lengthy police investigation. This was the first prosecution of its kind in the UK. Nelson used modeling software called Daz 3D to manufacture the loathsome images. The program has a suite of AI tools, which he used to transform regular photos of children into CSAM. Greater Manchester police said that he sold these images online and was even commissioned in several cases to create specific items of CSAM via photographs of real kids. Police say that Nelson made around $6,500 by selling images online. He was caught when trying to sell images to an undercover cop in a chatroom. "I've done beatings, smotherings, hangings, drownings, beheadings, necro, beast, the list goes on," Nelson said to the cop to entice a sale. This is according to a transcript of a conversation provided by the prosecution. It's worth noting that Daz 3D doesn't create deepfakes, in which one face is swapped onto another body. Nelson created actual 3D renders by feeding the photos to the AI algorithm. At sentencing, the judge called the images "harrowing and sickening" and addressed Nelson specifically, saying "there seems to be no limit to the depths of depravity exhibited in the images that you were prepared to create and exhibit to others." He also said that it was "impossible to know" if children had been abused as a result of the images. Police searches of Nelson's devices did find a series of text messages in which he encouraged people to sexually abuse children under 13. These suspects and potential victims are allegedly located throughout the world, including the US. The United States is, of course, not immune from this horrifying trend. A soldier was for allegedly using AI to generate CSAM. A Wisconsin man faces 70 years in prison for allegedly depicting CSAM. The world's leading AI companies to help stop this type of software from being used to generate child sexual abuse material.

18-year prison sentence for man who used AI to create child abuse images

At Bolton Crown Court, Judge Martin Walsh imposed an extended sentence on Hugh Nelson, saying he posed a "significant risk" of causing harm to the public. Credit: Graeme Lamb/Alamy A man who used artificial intelligence technology to create child sexual abuse imagery was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Monday, in a landmark prosecution over deepfakes in the UK. Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, pleaded guilty to a total of 16 child sexual abuse offences, including transforming everyday photographs of real children into sexual abuse material using AI tools from US software provider Daz 3D. He also admitted encouraging others to commit sexual offenses on children. At Bolton Crown Court, Judge Martin Walsh imposed an extended sentence on Nelson, saying he posed a "significant risk" of causing harm to the public. That means Nelson will not be eligible for parole until he has completed two-thirds of his sentence. Advances in AI mean fake images have become more realistic and easier to create, prompting experts to warn about a rise in computer-generated indecent images of children. Jeanette Smith, a prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service's Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said Nelson's case set a new precedent for how computer-generated images and indecent and explicit deepfakes could be prosecuted. "This case is one of the first of its kind but we do expect to see more as the technology evolves," said Smith. Greater Manchester Police found both real images of children and computer-generated images of child sexual abuse on Nelson's devices, which were seized last June. The computer-generated images did not look exactly like real photographs but could be classified as "indecent photographs," rather than "prohibited images," which generally carry a lesser sentence. This was possible, Smith said, because investigators were able to demonstrate they were derived from images of real children sent to Nelson.

Man who created 'bespoke' child abuse images for paedophiles with AI jailed for 18 years

Hugh Nelson, 27, created explicit images depicting children being harmed sexually and physically A man who made 'bespoke' child abuse images using artificial intelligence to sell to other paedophiles has been jailed for 18 years. Hugh Nelson, 27, accepted requests from individuals via online chatrooms for explicit images depicting children being harmed both sexually and physically. The former student, with a Masters degree in graphics, also used images of real children for some of his computer-generated "artwork", Bolton Crown Court heard. Nelson frequently discussed child sexual abuse with other chatroom users and on three separate occasions encouraged the rape of children aged under 13. He posed the highest category of risk of danger to the public, the Probation Service concluded. Passing sentence, Judge Martin Walsh, Honorary Recorder of Bolton, said: "There appears to have been no limit to the depth of depravity exhibited in the images that you were prepared to create and to distribute to others. "The nature and content of the communications which you entered into is utterly chilling." He ordered Nelson to also serve six years on licence after he is released from jail and he must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. Judge Walsh told Nelson it was impossible to say whether a child was in fact sexually abused as a result of his images but he intended to encourage others to commit child rape and had "no idea" how his images would be used. Earlier, David Toal, prosecuting, said the case resulted from Operation Influence, an investigation into the "creation and developing trends of AI (artificial intelligence) in relation to child sexual exploitation". He added: "The use of AI is rapidly improving and the imagery is becoming more realistic." The defendant was unmasked as the administrator of a paedophile chatroom when he engaged in a conversation with an undercover officer in May last year. Nelson told the officer he took commissions from customers for images created by 3D modelling software and went on to send computer-generated images which depicted child sexual abuse. Mr Toal said: "The defendant said he had over 60 characters in total, ranging from six months to middle-aged, and he charged £80 to create a new character. "He further stated 'I've done beatings, smotherings, hangings, drownings, beheadings, necro, beast, the list goes on' with a laughing emoji." The defendant went on to say that "creating 3D porn could get me jail time", and later added: "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." Nelson, who had no previous convictions, was arrested at his family home in Egerton, Bolton, in June last year and told police he had a sexual interest mainly in girls aged about 12. He said he had met like-minded people on the internet and eventually began to create images for sale as he considered his offending "had got out of control". Various devices were seized and were found to contain a large number of indecent images as well as chats online with adults in France, Italy and the United States regarding the sexual exploitation and rape of children, although there was no evidence before the court to say any child had been sexually or physically assaulted. Bob Elias, defending, said Nelson was a "shy, gauche man" who led a "lonely, socially isolated existence" in his bedroom at his family home. His father sat in the public gallery at the court, alongside Nelson's mother, who, head bowed, wept into the crook of her arm as their son, appearing via video link from HMP Forest Bank, was jailed. The defendant pleaded guilty at a hearing to various sexual offences including intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of the rape of a child under the age of 13, making and distributing indecent images of children and attempting to incite a child aged under 16 to engage in sexual activity. Derek Ray-Hill, interim chief executive at the Internet Watch Foundation, said: "Technology is now enabling previously unthought-of violations of innocent children. "We are discovering more and more synthetic and AI images of child sexual abuse, and they can be disturbingly life-like. "Children deserve safety, and the abuse of this technology is a nightmare which only risks making the internet a worse and more dangerous place for everyone."

Paedophile Hugh Nelson who made AI child abuse images from real pictures sent to him jailed for 18 years in 'deeply horrifying' landmark case

A paedophile who made thousands of pounds by creating child abuse images using AI and real pictures of children has been jailed for 18 years in a landmark case. Hugh Nelson used a 3D character generator to turn ordinary, non-explicit pictures of children into child abuse images, before selling them on an internet forum used by artists. People who knew the children in the real world would send the 27-year-old images of them. Nelson, from Bolton, would then charge his network of paedophiles £80 for a new "character". After that, it was £10 per image to animate them in different, explicit positions. Over an 18-month period, Nelson admits he made around £5,000 from selling these images. In some cases, Nelson then went on to encourage his clients to rape and sexually assault the children, the court heard. In a police interview, the paedophile told officers: "A lot of my characters were commissioned by their dads, uncles, family friends." Jeanette Smith, a specialist prosecutor for the CPS, said: "This is one of the first cases of its kind that demonstrates a link between people like Nelson, who are creating computer-generated images using technology, and the real-life offending that goes on behind that." A number of paedophiles have been sent to prison recently for using AI to create child abuse images. In Nelson's case, however, police were able to link the images he generated to real children for the first time. Nelson, who had no previous convictions, was arrested at his family home in Egerton, Bolton, in June last year and told police he had a sexual interest mainly in girls aged about 12. The children who he was sent pictures of were all based abroad, in France, Italy and the United States. Police officers in those countries have been passed information about Nelson's offending, and more arrests have been made. Although this is the first time someone has been prosecuted for creating this kind of child abuse imagery, the authorities are preparing for many more. Inside the Internet Watch Foundation in Cambridge, dozens of analysts scour the internet every day, hunting down child abuse images and removing them from the internet. Read more: Disney star 'in tears' after criminal used AI to make sex abuse images of her How AI could transform the future of crime AI-generated child abuse images increasing at 'chilling' rate In the last six months, they've seen more child abuse images made using AI than they did all of last year. Dan Sexton, the charity's chief technical officer, said: "Our work has always been difficult anyway. "[But] we've never had to deal with the possibility that someone could download some software on their computer and create an infinite amount of new images. "They use as many as they can until the hard drives fill up. That's a new type of harm that which we have not been prepared for." One of the charity's analysts, known only as Jeff when he's at work to protect his identity, said he was worried about how convincing AI imagery is becoming. "We're reaching the point now where even a trained analyst would struggle to see whether it was real or not," he said. In August, Nelson pleaded guilty at Bolton Crown Court to 11 offences, including three counts of encouraging the rape of a child under 13, one count of attempting to incite a boy under 16 to engage in a sexual act, three counts each of the distribution and making of indecent images, and one count of possessing prohibited images. At an earlier court appearance in July 2023, he also pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing indecent pseudo photographs of children and publishing an obscene article. Detective Constable Carly Baines, from Greater Manchester Police, said the case was "deeply horrifying". She added: "It became clear to us after extensive trawls of his many devices by digital forensic experts however, that his behaviour went far beyond what clearly he was seeing as a 'business opportunity'. "Not only was he creating and selling these images, but he was engaging in depraved sexualised chat online about children and going as far as to encourage people interested in his online content to commit contact offences such as rape against children they knew or were related to."

Man who made 'depraved' child images with AI jailed for 18 years

A student who used AI technology "in the worst possible way" to turn photographs of real children into "depraved" indecent images has been jailed for 18 years. Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, used a computer programme to generate the images which he shared and sold online to other paedophiles over an 18-month period, making £5,000. Bolton Crown Court heard the graphic design student, who pleaded guilty to 16 child sexual abuse offences, also encouraged the rape of children in online chatrooms. Detective Chief Inspector Jen Tattersall, of Greater Manchester Police, said Nelson was "an extremely dangerous man who thought he could get away with what he was doing by using modern technology".