Judges have been criticized for repeatedly granting bail to a paedophile who photographed women and girls and used artificial intelligence to alter the images, allowing him to remain in his home where some offenses occurred. Zafer Dogan, 32, was eventually jailed for two years and four months after admitting to making thousands of indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography.
Court transcripts reveal that judges overruled pleas from the victims' families, prosecutors, and the Metropolitan Police to remand Dogan in custody. One judge stated that to remand him, the prosecution had to prove he might abscond, commit further offenses, or interfere with witnesses, none of which, she argued, had occurred.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, criticized the courts' decisions, stating that "children should be put first, not the paedophile." He noted that the pressure to reduce the number of individuals on remand had contributed to more dangerous offenders being granted bail despite police objections. One family felt forced to move to temporary accommodation and change their child's school to avoid living near Dogan.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stated that Sir Mark's viewpoint "needs to be heard" and has called for necessary changes within the criminal justice system. The case emerged as the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee reported that prisons were operating at nearly full capacity, with the number of prisoners on remand reaching a record high of 17,711 in August 2024. These bail and remand decisions are made by independent judges or magistrates.
Dogan had pleaded guilty to multiple offenses, including making indecent images of children and creating purported intimate images of adults. Investigators discovered thousands of images, many taken from his flat overlooking a children's playground in Enfield, north London. Photos of 33 adult women and two children were digitally altered using AI software.
Despite his arrest on July 16 and subsequent bail, Dogan was arrested again on August 4. The following day, he was charged and remanded by police. However, he was granted bail again by magistrates on August 6 with conditions including not leaving the UK, living at his address, not contacting individuals under 18 unless supervised, and limiting internet-connected devices to one registered device subject to police inspection. These conditions were upheld by two judges at Wood Green Crown Court.
At a later hearing, a prosecutor informed the court that Dogan had been assessed as posing a "high risk" and that his bail conditions were causing significant distress to victims and their families. Despite acknowledging the concerns, one judge stated she could not change the bail conditions solely on that basis, suggesting it could lead to prosecutors "forum shopping" for more sympathetic judges.
Victim impact statements from the mothers of Dogan's child victims highlighted the profound distress caused. One mother described feeling "punched in the gut" and worried about her daughter's photos being online. Another expressed feeling "helpless" and that their lives would never be the same.
Dogan's sentencing followed guilty pleas to counts of making indecent images of a child, possessing extreme pornography, and other related offenses. The most severe charges involved hundreds of category A, B, and C images.