A 26-year-old bartender from Essex has been sentenced to five years in prison after creating and sharing deepfake pornography of women he knew. Brandon Tyler, from Braintree, was convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court in one of the UK’s first prosecutions under a law that made explicit deepfake imagery a criminal offense in England and Wales in April 2024.
Tyler used artificial intelligence to manipulate images of 20 women, many of whom he knew personally, and shared them on an online forum that glorified sexual violence.
He admitted to 18 counts of stalking or harassment without violence and 15 counts of sharing intimate photos for sexual gratification.
“There is perhaps no greater example of [toxic masculinity] than your humiliating and degrading conduct to the victims in this case,” said Judge Alexander Mills during sentencing.
His attorney Michael Edmonds apologized for his client claiming, “This is not a man who has offended in any way, shape, or form before. It is just bizarre that he did it.” He insisted that Tyler was a troubled person, but not an “incel” or misogynist.
