Met Commissioner criticizes bail decisions for AI sex offender

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has publicly criticized the justice system after Zafer Dogan, a man convicted of using AI technology to create sexually explicit images, was granted bail to a flat overlooking a children's playground in Enfield.

Dogan was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for taking thousands of unauthorized photos of women and girls and using AI photo-editing tools to manipulate them for sexual gratification. Despite opposition from police and prosecutors, bail decisions prioritized the offender's interests over victim safety, forcing one victimized family to move into temporary accommodation to escape proximity to him.

Sir Mark Rowley stated that pressure to reduce the remand population has led to “unfathomable decisions” that leave officers feeling “hamstrung.” He also criticized technology and AI companies, arguing that they must do more to prevent their tools from being exploited by predators to facilitate sexual offending.