- Hugh Nelson turned normal photos of children into sexual abuse images, through internet chatrooms on the ‘clean web’ he sold the pictures and even gave some away for free.
By Grâçia Ada Obi
A “depraved” paedophile who used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to turn normal pictures of real children into child abuse images has been jailed.
Twisted Hugh Nelson, 27, of Briggsfold Road, Bolton, has been locked up for 18 years with an additional six years on extended licence. He also admitted to encouraging the rape of children via the internet, the Crime Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.
The “extremely dangerous” criminal was first arrested in June 2023 by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and charged with five offences. However after a number of his digital devices were seized and examined investigators discovered that Nelson frequented encrypted internet chatrooms where he would exchange and sell computer-generated images and discuss child sexual abuse with others.
Having initially pleaded guilty to five charges in July last year, he appeared at Bolton Crown Court on Friday August 9 and admitted to 11 further child sexual offences. Nelson was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment plus an extra six years on extended licence on Monday (October 28).
After he was initially investigated, police discovered that via online chatrooms Nelson accepted requests from individuals who wanted him to create explicit images depicting children being harmed both sexually and physically, which he either sold in exchange for money or shared to others for free.
Some of these computer-generated images requested used images of real children. Over an 18-month period, Nelson admits he made around £5,000 from selling these images.
GMP added that throughout the investigation its “top priority” was identifying the children within the images located on Nelson’s devices, or any others which may have been at risk of harm through Nelson’s online networks with like-minded individuals.