Southport man jailed for creating and sharing deepfake images of women and children

A man named Karl Marshall, aged 47 and residing on Rufford Road, Southport, has been sentenced to over two years in prison after he pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to creating and sharing sexually explicit deepfake images. He produced a total of 266 such images between July 2023 and January 2024, using artificial intelligence technology to manipulate the faces of real women and children. These images were subsequently distributed online, causing distress to victims, one of whom expressed feeling 'so violated' upon knowing her images were circulating on the internet. Another victim stated, 'I’m not the same person I was before. I worry when a man looks at me for too long and panic that he may have seen the images.' Yet another victim reported feeling 'unsafe in my own skin,' despite no physical contact, describing her feelings as 'violated and used.' During the court hearing, Marshall admitted to making indecent photographs and pseudo-photographs of a child and sharing images or films in an intimate context for sexual gratification and voyeurism. Det Sgt Rory Quigley emphasized the importance of reporting sexual abuse or exploitation, encouraging anyone with information to come forward and assuring them of sensitivity and support from trained officers. The creation of sexually explicit deepfake images became a criminal offence in April of the same year.