Paedophile scandal: How family had to flee London to escape sex offender freed to live in flat near playground

Britain’s top police officer has told how a family targeted by a paedophile was forced to flee London after he was bailed to live in his flat overlooking a playground.

He warned that pressure to cut the number of prisoners on remand has led to “dangerous and prolific offenders” being granted bail.

Zafer Dogan who was jailed for two years and four months for using AI to make nude images of children

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Following the 32-year-old’s sentencing at Wood Green Crown Court, Sir Mark took the unusual step of publicly criticising the justice system.

He said: “Decisions were ultimately made that prioritised the offender's interests over the safety and the peace of mind of the victims.

“The result was that a victim and their family found themselves living in close proximity to a man who had admitted targeting them.

“They were so fearful, ultimately felt forced to move to a distant temporary accommodation, disrupting their lives and their children's lives simply to escape being in the neighborhood of the offender.

“That is simply not acceptable. The children should be put first, not the paedophile.”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley making a statement outside Wood Green Crown Court

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Earlier, the court heard how Dogan, who worked as a mechanic, took photos of adults and children going about their “daily business” without their knowledge before using AI software to digitally alter them into sexually-explicit images.

He had previously pleaded guilty to multiple image offences, including making indecent images of children, having been arrested on July 16 on suspicion of offences involving indecent images of children.

Prosecutor Sarah Gabay said investigators discovered “thousands of images of women and children which seem to have been taken without their consent or their knowledge”.

Ms Gabay said they were “going about their daily business” in the photographs, which included pictures of children on climbing frames.

Screengrab taken from police bodyworn video showing the arrest of Zafer Dogan

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According to the police, Dogan had taken more than 5,000 images, many of which were from his bedroom window which overlooked a playground.

The court was told photos of 33 adult women and two children, aged seven and 13, were “digitally altered” using AI software to create sexualised content.

Dogan was arrested again on August 4 and the following day he was charged and remanded by police.

The defendant appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on August 6 and accepted all the charges against him.

According to the prosecutor, Dogan has “been on conditional bail throughout these proceedings”.

The court heard victim impact statements from the mothers of Dogan’s two child victims, who have been kept anonymous for legal reasons.

The mother of the 13-year-old victim described feeling as if she had been “punched in the gut” when police officers told her what had happened.

She added: “I’m really worried that my daughter’s photos are online and other paedophiles have them.”

The mother of the seven-year-old victim described feeling “helpless”, adding: “Our lives will never be the same again and I can’t do anything about it all because one man exploited my child.”

Zafer Dogan before his arrest

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Joseph Carr, mitigating, said the defendant “recognises the profound seriousness” of his offending.

He said Dogan separated from his long-term partner in 2025 and subsequently “spiralled into depression”.

The lawyer said he “fell down the rabbit hole and was unable to find his way out”, but added there is no excuse for his actions.

The judge described Dogan as a “Jekyll and Hyde” character during the hearing having read multiple character references, which Mr Carr said “speak to positive character”.

Dogan pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child which included 900 category C images, 294 category B images and 653 category A images – which are the most severe.

He also admitted possessing extreme pornography, possessing a prohibited image of a child, creating purported intimate images of an adult, obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty and a further two counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

Sir Mark also criticised AI companies for being “grossly irresponsible” in the way they developed their technology.