Guernsey has delayed planned amendments to its Sexual Offences Law designed to tackle AI-enabled sexual crimes. The Committee for Home Affairs now expects to publish a policy letter before the end of the year instead of holding a debate in March–April 2026. Proposed changes would criminalise creating intimate deepfakes without consent and introduce offences such as cyberflashing, requesting deepfakes, and possession of indecent cartoons of children.
Guernsey Delays AI-Focused Sexual Offences Reforms — Policy Letter Now Expected This Year
St James' Chamber is where the island's law officers are based [BBC]
Officials in Guernsey have delayed planned changes to sexual offences law aimed at tackling AI-enabled crimes. The Committee for Home Affairs (HA) had been preparing for a debate in March or April 2026 but now says it is "on track" to publish a policy letter before the end of the year.
Why the Update Matters
HA's policy work focuses on "the use of AI in sexual offending", addressing offences such as voyeurism and the creation of indecent images using artificial intelligence. Concerns intensified after crown advocate Chris Dunford noted during the sentencing of former Chief Minister Jonathan Le Tocq that producing pornographic deepfake images of women is not currently a specific offence in Guernsey.
Proposed Changes
The November announcement to review the Sexual Offences (Guernsey) Law, 2020, set out a range of potential new offences to close legal gaps created by emerging technologies. Under the proposals, examples include:
- Creating Intimate Deepfakes Without Consent: Producing AI-generated intimate images that depict a real person without their consent would be criminalised.
- Taking, Creating Or Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent: Making or disseminating intimate images of someone without consent would become an offence.
- Cyberflashing: Sending unsolicited explicit images electronically would be outlawed.
- Requesting Deepfakes: Soliciting AI-generated intimate images of real people would be an offence.
- Possession Of Indecent Cartoons Or Drawings Of Children: Possessing sexualised cartoons or drawings of children would be specifically prohibited.
These proposals are part of a broader effort by the States of Guernsey to update legislation to reflect rapid advances in technology and to protect victims whose images are manipulated or exploited.
Context And Recent Cases
Sentences in recent island cases underline the seriousness of related crimes: serial voyeur Kirk Bishop received an eight-year prison sentence, and Jonathan Le Tocq was jailed for nine years over child images. The HA's forthcoming policy letter will set out recommendations for how the law should change and the timetable for debate and enactment.
Officials say the policy letter is expected before the end of the year; the exact timing of any legislative debate has yet to be confirmed.
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