Victims 'grossly failed' after courts bailed AI paedophile Zafer Dogan to flat above the playground he targeted

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026.

London's Victims' Commissioner Andrea Simon has condemned the justice system for repeatedly granting bail to Zafer Dogan, 32, allowing him to return to his Enfield flat with a direct view of the playground where he photographed children. Dogan was sentenced to two years and four months at Wood Green Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to making more than 5,000 indecent images — many captured through his bedroom window — and using AI software to digitally remove clothing from victims, including children under eight.

Police and prosecutors challenged Dogan's bail on three separate occasions, only to be overruled each time, with one victim's family displaced into temporary accommodation as a result.

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley publicly criticised the justice system, warning that prison capacity pressures were reaching a dangerous level and that prolific offenders were 'routinely' bailed despite 'strong submissions' from police.

Simon is urging the government to commission a multi-agency review, cautioning that the Dogan case will NOT be the last of its kind — she has reportedly warned that further sex offenders risk being wrongly set free.