Met chief attacks 'unfathomable' bail decisions as paedophile jailed for AI deepfake images
Sir Mark Rowley publicly attacked the justice system after a man who used AI to create sexualised images of women and children was bailed to a flat overlooking a playground.
Britain’s most senior police officer has publicly attacked the criminal justice system after a paedophile was allowed back to a flat overlooking a playground while awaiting sentence.
Zafer Dogan, 32, was jailed on Thursday at Wood Green Crown Court for two years and four months after being convicted of taking thousands of pictures of women and girls and using artificial intelligence to turn some into nude images for his own sexual gratification.
Despite opposition from police and prosecutors — the Met and the CPS opposed his bail on three occasions — Dogan was bailed back to his flat in Enfield, north London. One victim’s family was so fearful they moved into temporary accommodation.
After the sentencing, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley took the unusual step of publicly criticising the justice system. “The children should be put first, not the paedophile,” he said, adding that officers felt “hamstrung” by “unfathomable decisions” to grant dangerous offenders bail.
He said: “The pressure to reduce the remand population has contributed to more dangerous and prolific offenders being granted bail routinely despite strong submissions from the police and CPS. Victims are left fearful, and communities are left feeling less safe, and confidence in the justice system is undermined.”
The court heard Dogan, a mechanic, photographed adults and children going about their daily business without their knowledge. Photos of 33 adult women and two children, aged seven and 13, were digitally altered. He pleaded guilty to offences including making 1,847 indecent images of children — 900 category C, 294 category B and 653 category A, the most severe — possessing extreme pornography and obstructing a constable.
Rowley also attacked the tech firms, saying “grossly irresponsible” AI companies must do more to stop their tools being used for sexual offending. Judge Alexander Jacobs said: “The offences are so serious that in my judgement only a custodial sentence is justified.”
Sources
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