‘Depraved’ stalker who sent victim AI-generated video of herself naked is jailed

Jakob Ward, 28, has been jailed for a stalking campaign in which he used a fake Instagram account to send a woman AI-generated intimate images and videos of herself. The case highlights how fabricated sexual images can be used to intimidate and distress someone, alongside other forms of harassment.

Ward also sent packages containing the woman’s underwear, sex toys and a bag of his own semen; DNA from the bag helped police identify him. The victim said she feared someone would break into her home and slept with a knife under her pillow. Ward admitted stalking causing serious alarm or distress and other offences, and received a 32-month sentence and a 10-year restraining order.