KARL Marshall, 47, of Rufford Road, Southport, on:- Tuesday 22 October 2024, has been  jailed for 2 years and 2 months, at Liverpool Crown Court, after 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.

The images in this case are known more commonly as:- 'deepfakes' are digitally altered, with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI)  pornographic image or video of children and women. to produce.

It is a growing problem with people like Karl Marshall misusing the technology like this. We are told that Marshall used the faces of real women and children without their knowledge to create pornographic images and shared them online.

As part of a complex investigation, it was also found that between:- July 2023 and January 2024, Marshall made 266 indecent pseudo images of children using AI technology.

In a Victim Impact Statement, 1 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. After discovering the images, I questioned why me? Why had Karl targeted me in such a way? I stopped making an effort, stopped wearing makeup and didn't wear my hair down because maybe just maybe if I hadn't done that before maybe Karl wouldn't have looked twice at me, and maybe it would prevent it from happening again. I'm not the same person I was before. My confidence is low, I question my judgement of others, I worry when a man looks at me for too long and panic that he may have seen the images. I'm permanently anxious and on the edge and struggle to sleep, all because of Karl's despicable behaviour."

A 2nd female victim who was targeted in the same way said in her Victim Impact Statement:- "I'm a changed person. I don't trust as I once did. I question has this person or that person seen the images of me? Have they been distributing them? I feel unsafe in my own skin. No one touched me, yet I feel violated and used. It’s indescribable how dirty and weak you can feel when you have zero control over the situation you find yourself in."

Detective Sergeant Rory Quigley, who led the investigation, said:- "The creation or sharing of digitally altered images is not a victimless crime and in many cases, such as this 1, the identities of real women are used to create pornographic content. This is absolutely appalling and would undoubtedly cause huge distress and upset for the victims. This was a complex investigation, but thankfully we were able to produce the evidence that showed that Marshall was guilty of these offences. Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm. I would like to take this opportunity to stress that if you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to Police. We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion."

In recent years, incidents of images being digitally altered to replace the face of a person with the face of another; often celebrities or public figures, especially women; have hit the headlines around the world repeatedly.

If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations can also provide help and support:!
 

Please contact the NSPCC by calling them on:- 08088005000, or emailing them at:- help@nspcc.org.uk, or contact Childline on:- 08001111.

If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind, don’t be afraid to tell someone, find the courage to come forward and get the help you deserve.

You can report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences anonymously on the Merseyside Police website.

There is a lot of support available from Specialist Officers within Merseyside Police and through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service, delivered jointly by 2 registered charities.

In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by:- Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on:- 01515581801, in

St Helens and Knowsley, by the:- Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC)

Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on:- 01925221546, or 03303630063.