Andy Burnham has condemned the “disturbing” case of a paedophile who photographed women and girls before using artificial intelligence to create fake nude images of them, despite being repeatedly released on bail.
Zafer Dogan, 32, was sentenced on Thursday to two years and four months in prison after admitting he had taken thousands of images of victims and manipulated them with AI technology to “nudify” them for his own sexual gratification.
Dogan, a mechanic, was repeatedly granted bail despite warnings about the risk he posed to people in the local community.
While awaiting sentencing, he was allowed to return to his flat in Enfield, north London. One family targeted by his offending was subsequently forced to move into temporary accommodation.
The decision to let Dogan remain at the property, which overlooked a children’s playground, was criticised after the trial by Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley. He said “children should be put first, not the paedophile”.
Speaking outside Wood Green Crown Court, Sir Mark said the family had “ultimately felt forced to move to distant temporary accommodation, disrupting their lives and disrupting their children’s lives, simply to escape being in the neighbourhood of the offender”.
The Prime Minister has condemned the “disturbing” case of a paedophile who photographed women and girls before using AI to create fake nude images of them
Zafer Dogan admitted taking thousands of images of his victims and altering them with AI technology to “nudify” them for his own sexual gratification
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said “children should be put first, not the paedophile” after Dogan was sentenced
“That is simply not acceptable,” he added. “The pressure to reduce the remand population has contributed to more dangerous and prolific offenders being routinely granted bail, despite strong submissions from police and the CPS.”
The Prime Minister has now said Sir Mark’s concerns “need to be heard” and called on those working across the criminal justice system to make the “necessary changes”.
Speaking to BBC London on Friday, Mr Burnham said: “It is obviously a matter for the courts when these decisions are made, but they clearly need to hear the voice of the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
“The failure to build prison places over a number of years has led to this unacceptable situation. I do not believe anyone would want this situation to have arisen—it is the result of failing to properly plan prison places in the past.
“But we are where we are. I have to deal with it.”
Dogan’s bail came as the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee warned last year that prisons were “alarmingly full”, with occupancy ranging from 98.0 per cent to 99.7 per cent between October 2022 and August 2024.
The committee also found that the remand population—prisoners awaiting trial or sentencing—had reached a record 17,711 in August 2024. Decisions on remand and bail are made by independent judges or magistrates.
Mr Burnham said Sir Mark’s concerns “need to be heard” (pictured: Dogan outside court)
Andrea Simon, London’s victims’ commissioner, previously said families had been “grossly failed by the decision” to grant Dogan bail.
Ms Simon told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “To know that police and prosecutors opposed bail multiple times, but that he was nevertheless returned to the community, shows that pressure on prison capacity is not being balanced against the impact on victims’ lives.”
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Dogan had previously pleaded guilty to several image offences, including making indecent images of children. He was arrested on July 16 on suspicion of offences involving indecent images of children.
Prosecutor Sarah Gabay previously told a court investigators discovered ‘thousands of images of women and children which seem to have been taken without their consent or their knowledge’.
Ms Gabay said these individuals were ‘going about their daily business’ in the photographs, which included pictures of children on climbing frames.
According to police, Dogan had taken more than 5,000 images, many of which were from his bedroom window which overlooked a playground.
The court was told photos of 33 adult women and two children – aged seven and 13 – were ‘digitally altered’ using AI software to create sexualised content.
He was arrested again on August 4 and the following day was charged and remanded by police. Dogan gave no comment interviews after both arrests.
The defendant appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on August 6 and accepted all the charges against him.
The court heard victim impact statements from the mothers of Dogan’s two child victims, who have been kept anonymous for legal reasons.
The mother of the 13-year-old victim described feeling as if she had been ‘punched in the gut’ when police officers told her what had happened.
She added: ‘I’m really worried that my daughter’s photos are online and other paedophiles have them.’
The mother of the seven-year-old victim described feeling ‘helpless’, adding: ‘Our lives will never be the same again and I can’t do anything about it all because one man exploited my child.’
Another parent said: ‘Our lives are turned upside down for ever. Yet no one protects us.’
According to the prosecutor, Dogan had ‘been on conditional bail throughout these proceedings’.
Dogan pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child, which included 900 category C images, 294 category B images and 653 category A images – which are the most severe.
He also admitted possessing extreme pornography, possessing a prohibited image of a child, creating purported intimate images of an adult, obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty and a further two counts of making indecent photographs of a child.
Police Constable Natalie Scagliarini, who led the investigation into Dogan, described the case as ‘deeply distressing’ following sentencing.
She said: ‘Dogan’s actions were predatory and dangerous. He targeted the most innocent of scenes – children playing or out walking with their parents – and manipulated the photos he took in the most sickening way.
‘The nature of his offending has understandably left those who have learned of it feeling unsettled and violated, not knowing when they might be being watched or photographed and for what purpose.
‘We remain committed to protecting women and children and bringing those who seek to exploit them before the courts, and I thank those affected by Dogan’s offending whose bravery and support has helped us to achieve today’s result.’
