Deepfake Porn Victim Confronts Perpetrator in Landmark Australian Case

The victim of Australia's first deepfake pornography prosecution confronted the man responsible for doctoring her graduation photo, stating that while the image made her feel ill, she would not allow it to control her life. William Hamish Yeates, 20, is the first individual prosecuted under federal laws enacted in 2024 to combat non-consensual deepfake pornography.

Yeates pleaded guilty in April to two counts of creating or altering sexual material without consent between October 2024 and February 2025, and two counts of using a carriage service in a harassing or offensive manner. The altered material was disseminated across multiple accounts on the social media platform X.

Appearing in the South Australian District Court for sentencing submissions, Yeates, who was 18 at the time of the offenses, heard his victim deliver an emotional statement. She told Yeates that her face, identity, and image "were never yours to take." She added, "You made the deliberate choice to strip away my dignity and turn me into something for your sick obsession."

The victim-survivor described her life as normal before Yeates allegedly weaponized her likeness. "The first time I saw my actual graduation photo was on a pornographic website ... every time I now see that photo, I feel sick," she stated. "These images of me were fake, but the impact they had is painfully real."

She concluded her statement by expressing resilience: "You tried to reduce me to an image on the screen, but I am so much more than that. If sharing my experience helps even one other victim feel seen, heard, believed, or protected, then something meaningful will come from the pain you caused. I will heal from this."

Yeates read an apology in court, expressing constant self-loathing and shame. "My actions will continue to plague my mind for as long as I breathe," he said. "I will chase redemption and salvation for as long as I live."

Defence counsel Jane Powell QC requested the court consider Yeates's youth, remorse, early guilty plea, and diagnoses of autism, compulsive sexual behavior disorder, and persistent adjustment disorder. Powell noted that Yeates, between the ages of 15 and 16, was exposed to online content related to the manosphere and Andrew Tate, described as a "vexatious, hateful, misogynistic individual with an enormous worldwide platform, particularly aimed at young men."

The prosecutor emphasized the permanent nature of online content, stating, "This gross material will be forever in perpetuity online, and so the risk and the fear of that plaguing her adult life is a very real one." The court was urged to consider the principle of general deterrence, suggesting a sentence involving "some actual custody" was warranted.

Judge Anne Barnett is scheduled to sentence Yeates on October 22.