Former Guernsey Chief Minister Jonathan Le Tocq has been sentenced to nine years in prison after admitting to creating more than 2,000 indecent images of children.
The BBC has reported that the 61-year-old pleaded guilty in December to possessing extreme pornography, creating pseudo indecent images of children and telecommunications offences.
Sentencing at Guernsey’s Royal Court, Judge Catherine Fooks said she had struggled to put into words “the depravity” of his crimes.
Crown Advocate Chris Dunford said the method of creating the pseudo images had “never been seen before by this court”.
He detailed how Le Tocq used AI to superimpose faces of children and local women he knew onto explicit photographs, often adding his own face.
Dunford told the court Le Tocq said he was “desperately sorry” and “ashamed” of his “bizarre behaviour”, claiming he acted for the “release” and an “adrenaline high” to cope with the stress of public office.
Le Tocq told officers he was “relieved” when discovered.