In a story that reads like a dystopian thriller, Sydney resident Hannah Grundy received an email one February night that would upend her life.
The anonymous sender warned of “disturbing material” within a link, which Hannah, fearing it might be a scam, hesitated to open. However, the content was far beyond any scam – it was a nightmare brought to life.
The link led to a website titled ‘The Destruction of Hannah’ where hundreds had voted on ways to abuse her through a macabre poll.
The site was filled with over 600 images of fake porn, where Hannah’s face was digitally imposed onto the bodies of others in grotesque, violent scenarios. Her personal details, including her full name, Instagram handle, and suburb, were displayed alongside these images, and her phone number was later found to be distributed online.
The 35-year-old school teacher and her partner, Kris Ventura, 33, were struck with “pure shock” upon discovering the page.
They soon realised the images included other women they knew, leading to a chilling revelation that the perpetrator was someone close to them. After hours of detective work at their kitchen table, they identified Andrew ‘Andy’ Hayler, a former university friend and bar supervisor, as the prime suspect.
Despite their initial optimism when reporting to the police, Hannah and Kris found the response lacking. Hannah felt dismissed, with one officer even commenting insensitively on her appearance in one of the manipulated images. Frustrated by the police’s handling, they turned to legal and digital forensic help, spending over A$20,000 to advance the case.
It was only after significant effort that police finally raided Andy’s home, leading to his confession.
The case was groundbreaking for Australia, highlighting the dark side of technology where deepfake technology was used for harassment. Last year Andy was sentenced to nine years.
Hannah’s ordeal didn’t end with the sentencing. The psychological impact lingers, compounded by the permanence of internet content and Andy’s intent to appeal his sentence.
