Hugh Nelson’s AI child abuse conviction shows we must urgently update our tech laws
The UK’s first conviction for using artificial intelligence to create explicit images of children shows an urgent need to tighten laws around misusing technology.
Hugh Nelson, a 27-year-old graphic design student from Bolton, was convicted of 16 child sexual abuse offenses after doctoring innocent images of children into disturbing scenes of abuse.
Nelson pleaded guilty 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.
The student utilised a computer program called Daz 3D, a widely used character generator software, to produce and distribute these images within encrypted chatrooms designed for paedophiles, creating a dangerous environment where such content could thrive.
Nelson actively engaged with a network of paedophiles offering custom images and animations. Nelson admitted in his police interview: “A lot of my characters were commissioned by their dads, uncles, family friends.”
He also encouraged the rape and sexual assault of children in online chatrooms.
The children who Nelson was sent pictures of were all based abroad, in France, Italy and the United States.
Greater Manchester Police’s investigation revealed Nelson profited significantly from his harrowing activities by charging his network £80 for new “characters” and an additional £10 per image to animate them in different explicit positions.
In the landmark case, Nelson was sentenced to a total of 24 years – 18 years imprisonment, six years on license, and a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, at Bolton Crown Court in August 2024.
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.
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”.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Martin Walsh condemned Nelson’s actions stating: “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.”
This unprecedented ruling raises important questions about how laws are evolving to keep pace with new technologies that facilitate child exploitation. 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.
As technology continues to advance, law enforcement agencies must adapt to effectively combat the rising tide of digital crimes. Nelson’s conviction serves as a wake-up call, prompting a re-evaluation of how existing laws address the misuse of technology for criminal purposes.
Anyone affected by the issues raised in this blog can contact me directly for free, no-obligation advice about their rights.
It is important survivors are aware they should not suffer in silence and support is available. As well as obtaining justice through the criminal process, survivors can be compensated through the civil process for the harm caused to them by the abuse. Bolt Burdon Kemp is committed to supporting survivors of abuse in obtaining the compensation they deserve.
