A deepfake victim is advocating for reputational abuse to be formally recognised as a distinct form of abuse after her photograph was used to create a fake online identity. Kirsty Pellant's image and personal information were used to portray her as a sex worker on explicit websites, causing her lasting harm.
Pellant, from Kent, began receiving "odd messages" on social media in 2017 and later discovered a series of conversations with a "fake Kirsty" online. She was "hounded and trolled" by people who believed she should lose her job at a school, with some parents and community members turning against her. Men also turned up at her home.
The images of Pellant were taken from her Facebook account, manipulated, and added to naked bodies of other women. Her former colleague created deepfakes of her and three other women between 2017 and 2022. He was convicted of several stalking charges and one charge of disclosing/threatening to disclose private sexual photographs and films with the intention of causing distress, receiving a five-year sentence at Truro Crown Court in January 2025.
Despite the conviction, Pellant continues to fight to prove her innocence due to the persistent digital footprint of her fake identity. She argues that the damage to her reputation was not merely a consequence of stalking but a part of the abuse itself.
Pellant has launched a UK Parliament petition, which requires 100,000 signatures by February, to formally recognise and define reputational abuse in law. Sophie Mortimer, a revenge porn helpline manager and co-founder of SWGfL, stated that Pellant's case falls outside existing offences because the images used were neither nude nor intimate, despite their suggestive context. Mortimer believes there should be clearly defined offences for this type of targeted abuse, focusing on portraying someone negatively rather than solely on nudity.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) stated that sharing or creating intimate images without consent is a "disgusting" crime. The department is banning AI tools that generate deepfake sexual images without consent, with developers and suppliers potentially facing up to three years in prison. New offences covering the creation and solicitation of non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes, have been introduced, and changes to the Online Safety Act require platforms to remove such content quickly.