![RIGHT SIDEBAR TOP AD](/site/uploads/2023/Apr/04/ad12.jpg)
At Bolton crown court on Monday, Hugh Nelson was sentenced to 18 years in prison for using AI to generate sexually abusive images of children – based on real photos of real children.
The Guardian’s North of England correspondent Hannah Al-Othman, who was present at his hearings, describes how Nelson was caught and prosecuted, in what Greater Manchester police have described as a landmark case in this country.
Clare McGlynn, a professor of law at Durham University, tells Helen Pidd about the growing use of AI-generated images for child sexual abuse, and how the technology poses particular challenges for the authorities.
![Anonymous person using a laptop](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/df59c0395adb01666caede8b6bf292d31338fa07/0_66_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)