Student Creates Deepfake Images to Stalk Devon College Staff
A 19-year-old student at Petroc College in Devon used deepfake software and AI chatbots to create sexual images and interactive versions of two college staff members he was stalking over 11 months. He collected thousands of covert photographs and created threatening social media accounts. Exeter Crown Court found him guilty and imposed a three-year community order with a lifetime restraining order.
What happened
Ethan Fenwick, 19, a student at Petroc College in Tiverton, Devon, stalked two members of college staff over an 11-month period. Between July 2024 and January 2026, Fenwick secretly photographed the victims, created deepfake sexual images of them, generated AI chat versions to interact with, and compiled files containing over a thousand covert images of students and staff.
Fenwick made two Instagram accounts with threatening biographies stating he wished to kidnap both victims and to 'pin her against a wall to use her body'. Police arrested Fenwick after the initial victim reported his behaviour in November 2024. Officers recovered multiple digital devices from his address.
Reported impact
One victim stated she was forced to move home and change jobs to feel safe, and that the college 'failed to act' and told her there was 'nothing further they can do' when she raised concerns. She said: 'These events have changed every aspect of my life. I was completely unsupported by my previous employer and left to deal with the consequences alone.'
The second victim reported that knowing someone was watching her 'left me completely exposed and stripped of any privacy' and said the violation 'changes how you see the world and the people in it.' She stated she no longer feels secure at her workplace.
Governance controls
The college's safeguarding lead disclosed records showing Fenwick had previously made concerning comments regarding race and misogyny, and demonstrated hatred for the LGBTQIA+ community. Records also showed he had been removed from a past school and youth centre due to an unhealthy obsession with another teacher and youth worker.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.