Australia's First Deepfake Image Prosecution Ends Without Jail Time

A South Australian man, the first person prosecuted under Australia's 2024 federal deepfake sexual material laws, was given a jail term on 27 October 2026 that he will not serve in custody.^[1][2]

What Happened

William Hamish Yeates, 20, of Netherby in Adelaide, was sentenced in the South Australian District Court by Judge Anne Barnett.^[1][2] He was the first person prosecuted under federal laws introduced in 2024 to combat adult deepfake pornography.^[1][2]

He was sentenced to two years and three months.^[1] ABC News reported he was released on a recognisance release order for three years, with a condition of good behaviour.^[1] AAP reported the term was suspended on a three-year, $500 good behaviour bond.^[2] "I do not consider that it is appropriate that any portion of that sentence be immediately served," Judge Barnett said.^[2]

Yeates was 18 when he offended.^[1] Between October 2024 and February 2025, he made sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of a teenage girl.^[3] AAP reported he used photos from her social media and posted the material on X and Ero Me.^[2]

The outlets list the charges differently. AAP reported he pleaded guilty in April to two counts of creating sexual material transmitted without consent, two counts of using a carriage service in a harassing or offensive way, and one count of using a carriage service to make available personal data.^[2] ABC listed two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and one count of using a carriage service to make personal data available.^[1] AAP reported the deepfake offence carries a maximum of seven years in prison.^[2]

The judge found the material was shared "to humiliate, degrade and harass the victim."^[1] She accepted the offending was "associated with obsessional thinking rather than hostility, resentment or any suggestion of revenge."^[1] AAP reported Yeates has since been diagnosed with Level 2 autism and other conditions.^[2] The judge found these reduced his moral culpability to some extent.^[1] But she said: "Nor does the absence of a malicious motive itself lessen the objective seriousness of your offending."^[1]

AAP reported she also weighed his youth, guilty plea, remorse, treatment and lack of prior offending.^[2] She found his risk of reoffending low.^[2] He must pay the victim's medical expenses and forfeit a phone and laptop seized by police.^[2]

Why It Matters

Yeates was the first person prosecuted under the 2024 federal laws.^[1][2] The judge also described the harm to the victim. "The first time she saw her Year 12 graduation photo was on a pornographic website," Judge Barnett said.^[2] The victim, now 19, told the court in September that the images were fake but their impact was "painfully real."^[1][3] AAP reported she needs ongoing psychological support.^[2] The judge said she "remains frightened the content you created will resurface and is anxious it will continue to follow her in the future."^[2]

"I've also had regard to the fact that this type of offending disproportionately targets women and girls," the judge said. "Women are entitled to participate online in public life, free from harassment, intimidation, and sexualised abuse."^[2]

What to Do

This is general guidance, not legal advice.

• Save evidence first. Screenshot the image, account name, link and date before anything is removed.
• Do not share it further. Resharing spreads the material.
• Report it to the platform. Most major platforms have reporting tools for non-consensual intimate images.
• Contact police. In Australia, this case shows sharing such material without consent can be prosecuted federally.
• Get support. Talk to someone you trust.

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