I’m a victim of disgusting fake porn – I thought I’d never catch the culprit until key clue unmasked sick abuser

A WOMAN who was a victim of fake porn thought she would never catch the culprit until a key clue unmasked the sick abuser.

Kirsty Pellant, 44, was one of four women targeted by ex-soldier Jonathan Bates, who Photoshopped explicit pictures of his victims and posted them on websites offering sexual services.

For years, Bates evaded justice by using encryption software to hide his tracks.

But this week, the 54-year-old ex paratrooper was finally jailed for five years after his victims turned detective and cracked the case.

The breakthrough marked the end of an agonising eight-year wait for justice for Kirsty, who says the stress from the campaign forced her to quit her role as head of safeguarding at St John’s Primary School in Canterbury in 2023.

Father-of-one Bates, secured a teaching job at St John’s Primary in 2012 after leaving the Army and completing an educational conversion course.

Truro Crown Court heard that in 2015, another teacher at St John’s was horrified to find explicit images of herself online with her face Photoshopped onto the bodies of porn stars.

The teacher reported the images to Kent Police, but they couldn’t track down the perpetrator and soon after Kirsty discovered she too was being targeted.

Fake images of her appeared on porn sites, many using pictures stolen from her Facebook.

As fast as she managed to have them removed, more kept surfacing with the ordeal leaving her feeling “vulnerable, anxious, and embarrassed.”

Things took a darker turn when parents at St John’s started sharing and commenting on the images.

The school had to warn them that they could face legal action if they didn’t stop.

In a terrifying twist, one man even showed up at Kirsty’s home, believing he had arranged a date with her after seeing her on a sex site.

Others bombarded her with messages asking why she hadn’t “kept” arranged bookings.

The person behind the campaign remained a mystery, despite the efforts of Kent Police’s Cybercrime Unit, who struggled to break through Bates’ encryption.

The breakthrough came when Bates targeted a third victim, a complete stranger he had met at a funeral.

She, along with two other women, used Facebook to realise they were all linked by one thing – Jon Bates.

The three women alerted the police, who arrested the ex-soldier in 2022.