# Australian Man Who Made Deepfake Porn of Teenage Girl Avoids Jail After Judge Finds 'No Malicious Motive' > Source: > Published: 2026-10-30 07:34:55+00:00 # Australian Man Who Made Deepfake Porn of Teenage Girl Avoids Jail After Judge Finds 'No Malicious Motive' ## William Hamish Yeates received a two-year-three-month sentence under Australia's new non-consensual deepfake laws, but was released on a three-year recognisance order An Australian man who created [sexually explicit artificial intelligence (AI) images](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/kentucky-pastor-faces-felony-charges-over-alleged-child-images-1826828) of a teenage girl and shared them on pornography websites and social media has avoided serving time behind bars, despite receiving a prison sentence of more than two years. William Hamish Yeates, 20, became the first person in Australia to be sentenced under federal laws introduced to combat non-consensual deepfake pornography. He admitted creating and distributing sexually explicit images and videos of a girl he knew, using AI to manipulate her photographs. South Australian District Court Judge Anne Barnett sentenced Yeates to two years and three months in prison on 27 October 2026. However, she released him under a three-year recognisance release order, requiring him to remain on good behaviour rather than serve immediate jail time. ## How the Deepfake Images Were Created and Shared The offending took place between 2024 and 2025, when Yeates was 18. He used photographs of the teenage girl to create sexually explicit [AI-generated material](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/lena-schilling-ai-nude-deepfakes-eu-action-1826852) and subsequently shared it on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, and the adult website Ero Me. He pleaded guilty to offences involving the creation and distribution of sexual material without consent, as well as using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence and making personal information available through an online service. The victim, who is now 19, described the impact of discovering the images as 'painfully real', despite the material being fabricated. In her victim impact statement, she explained that the first time she saw her Year 12 graduation photograph was on a pornography website, where it appeared alongside altered sexual content bearing her full name and school details. She told the court that an image that should have represented a happy milestone in her life had instead become associated with distress and humiliation. ## Why the Judge Did Not Order Immediate Jail Time During sentencing, Judge Barnett said she accepted that Yeates's behaviour was associated with obsessive thinking rather than hostility, resentment or revenge. The court heard that Yeates had developed an obsessive preoccupation with the victim and had irrationally come to believe he was in a relationship with her. A psychologist had diagnosed him with autism spectrum disorder and compulsive sexual behaviour disorder. The judge accepted that his youth and neurodevelopmental condition had influenced his behaviour and affected his understanding of its wrongfulness and likely consequences. She also considered his participation in treatment, expressions of remorse, guilty pleas and prospects of rehabilitation. However, the judge made clear that these circumstances did not excuse what he had done. She stressed that the absence of a malicious motive did not reduce the seriousness of creating and distributing non-consensual sexual material. ## Deepfake Images Tainted Graduation Memories The victim's statement revealed how deeply the incident had affected her personal life. She explained that discovering her photographs had been manipulated and uploaded to an adult website left her carrying shame for something she had never done. Judge Barnett acknowledged that the offending had tainted memories that should have been associated with achievement and happiness. The judge also highlighted that this type of abuse disproportionately targets [women and girls](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ai-nudify-apps-accessible-child-accounts-investigation-1826499), warning that [sexually degrading material distributed without consent](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/belgian-royals-politicians-targeted-nude-deepfakes-1826604) can cause profound humiliation, distress and long-lasting harm. She said women were entitled to participate in online and public life without harassment, intimidation or sexualised abuse. ## Australia's Deepfake Laws Face Fresh Scrutiny Yeates was the first person charged under Australia's [federal laws introduced in 2024](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/appeals-court-pauses-minnesota-ai-nudification-ban-1823665) to address the creation and distribution of sexually explicit deepfake material without consent. The offences carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, reflecting the seriousness of digitally manipulating someone's identity for sexual purposes. The case has prompted renewed discussion about whether existing punishments adequately reflect the harm caused by AI-generated sexual abuse. Although Yeates avoided immediate imprisonment, his sentence still carries a three-year period during which he must comply with the conditions of his release. The ruling also sends a complicated message about how courts balance rehabilitation and individual circumstances against the need to protect victims and deter similar behaviour. For the young woman involved, however, the consequences have already extended far beyond the courtroom. Her graduation photograph, once a reminder of an important achievement, became something she encountered on a pornography website without her consent. © Copyright IBTimes 2026. All rights reserved.