A shy and socially isolated man who was “desperate for validation” when he created computer-generated indecent images of children to sell to other pedophiles has been jailed for 18 years.
Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, accepted requests from individuals via online chat rooms for ‘bespoke’ explicit images showing children suffering both sexual and physical harm.
The former student, who has a master’s degree in graphic design, also used images of real children for some of his computer-generated ‘artwork’, Bolton Crown Court heard.
Hugh Nelson (Greater Manchester Police/PA)
Nelson frequently discussed child sexual abuse with other chat room users and on three separate occasions encouraged the rape of children under the age of 13.
He posed the highest risk category to the public, the probation service concluded.
His father sat in the court’s public gallery, next to Nelson’s mother, who cried with her head bowed into the crook of her arm as their son, who appeared via video link from HMP Forest Bank, was jailed.
Judge Martin Walsh, honorary registrar of Bolton, said at sentencing: “There appears to have been no limit to the depth of depravity displayed in the images you were prepared to create and distribute to others.
“The nature and content of the communications you have entered into are completely chilling.”
He ordered Nelson to also serve six years of probation after being released from prison, and he was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Judge Walsh told Nelson it was impossible to tell whether a child was actually 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 arose from Operation Influence, an investigation into the “creation and development of AI (artificial intelligence) trends in relation to child sexual exploitation”.
He added: “The use of AI is improving rapidly and the images are becoming more realistic.”
The suspect was exposed as the manager of a pedophile chat room when he had a conversation with an undercover police officer in May last year.
Nelson told the officer that he took commissions from clients for images created with 3D modeling software and then sent computer-generated images depicting child sexual abuse.
Mr Toal said: “The defendant said he had more than 60 characters in total, ranging from six months to middle age, and charged £80 to create a new character.
“He went on to say, ‘I’ve done assault, suffocation, hanging, drowning, decapitation, necro, beast, the list goes on’ with a laughing emoji.”
The defendant went on to say that “making 3D porn could get me jail time,” later adding, “Most people who commission me don’t/can’t fuck their nieces, daughters, etc. so the way I see myself providing 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 particular sexual interest in girls aged around 12.
He said he met like-minded people on the Internet and eventually started creating images for sale because he felt his offending had “gotten out of hand.”
Several devices were seized and found to contain a large amount of indecent images, as well as online chats with adults in France, Italy and the United States about the sexual exploitation and rape of children, although there was no evidence in court to substantiate this to say. child has been sexually or physically abused.
Bob Elias, defending, said Nelson was a “shy, gauche man” who led a “lonely, socially isolated existence” in his bedroom at his family home.
He said: “What he was looking for first and foremost was validation, congratulations and a sense of belonging.
“He earned relatively small amounts of money and desperately wanted validation.
“He went down the rabbit hole into this kind of fantasy life and became completely engrossed in it.
“He has allowed his life to collapse around him, much to the shock and horror of his immediate family.”
Nelson had recognized the depravity of his actions and apologized for them in a letter to the judge, the court heard.
The suspect pleaded guilty at trial to various sexual offences, including deliberately 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 sexually assault a child under the age of 16. to engage in sexual acts. activity.
Outside court, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) specialist prosecutor Jeanette Smith said: “It is extremely disturbing that Hugh Nelson was able to take normal photographs of children and use AI tools and a computer program to transform them and create images. of the most depraved nature to sell and share online.
“Technology is evolving rapidly and unfortunately so are the risks to children.
“I hope this conviction sends a clear message to those who exploit this technology and harm children: you will be vigorously pursued by law enforcement, prosecuted by the CPS and brought to justice.”
Chief Inspector Jen Tattersall, head of Greater Manchester Police’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Nelson is an extremely dangerous man who thought he could get away with what he did by using modern technology.
“He was wrong and has now felt the full force of the law for his actions.”
Derek Ray-Hill, interim director of the Internet Watch Foundation, said: “Technology is now making previously thoughtless violations of innocent children possible.
“We are discovering more and more synthetic and AI images of child sexual abuse, and these can be disturbingly lifelike.
“Children deserve safety, and the misuse of this technology is a nightmare that only risks making the internet a worse and more dangerous place for everyone.”