A British mother-of-three was targeted in a disturbing stalking campaign involving AI-generated intimate images, a fabricated nude video and fake Instagram accounts. She suspected her abusive former partner was behind the harassment, but the person orchestrating it was a childhood friend who had been supporting her through the ordeal.
Paris Shears, 31, from Southampton, first received AI-generated images depicting her in underwear through Instagram in May 2026. She subsequently received an AI-generated nude video and a message requesting that they meet.
The man responsible was Jakob Emmanuel Ward, 28, who used two fake Instagram profiles, Tommy Jacks and Leo Sands, to impersonate her former partner. Both accounts had no profile pictures. Ward also referred to private sexual experiences involving Shears and her ex, reinforcing her suspicion that her abusive former partner was behind the harassment.
AI Images and Fake Accounts Escalated Harassment
The campaign reportedly continued for approximately 10-and-a-half weeks. Shears initially reported the messages to police, but authorities believed they were coming from an IP address outside the UK.
The situation escalated after a parcel bearing Shears' name was left near her home on 3 August. It contained four sheets of paper featuring images of her in underwear, some of which had been edited using AI, alongside a love letter and a bag containing semen.
Shears initially suspected her former partner because the package had been left near her road, where he was prohibited from going under a restraining order.
'The parcel had been left at the end of my road, which allowed us to believe that it was my ex. Jacob knew about the restraining order, which prevented my ex-partner from coming onto my road and the boundaries he wasn't able to cross.'
Ward had also sent another package containing Shears' underwear and sex toys to a different address. Police tested the semen and used DNA evidence to identify him as the person behind the stalking campaign.
The harassment also involved Ward sending Shears her own what3words location, further intensifying her fear that he knew where she lived.
Childhood Friend Was Behind the Stalking
The revelation was particularly devastating because Ward was not a stranger. She had known him since she was 16 and considered him part of her family.
Shears had even confided in Ward about the stalking campaign, unaware that he was responsible for it.
'Even as stalking was going on, I could confide in him about how scared I was, and he was supporting me,' she said.
The experience left Shears fearing for her safety. She installed CCTV cameras, monitored them for hours and slept with a knife under her bed.
In her victim statement, she said: 'I was denied the opportunity to consent. I feel as though I have been sexually assaulted in a way that is very difficult to explain.'
Stalker Jailed for 32 Months
Ward admitted stalking Shears in a way that caused serious alarm or distress, creating a purported intimate image of an adult, theft, possessing cannabis and possessing a knuckleduster.
He was sentenced to 32 months in prison at Winchester Crown Court on 16 October 2026 and received a 10-year restraining order.
Judge Christopher Parker KC described the campaign as 'despicable, depraved' and 'completely incomprehensible'.
Despite the conviction, Shears remains concerned that Ward could be released early under the Government's arrangements. She fears he could return to the community before she has had time to move with her three children and rebuild their lives elsewhere.
'I don't think he will stop, he will be very angry,' she said.
Shears is also campaigning for Paris's Law, a proposed reform that would prevent defendants charged with controlling or coercive behaviour from receiving a sentence reduction when they change their plea to guilty after initially pleading not guilty.
Her campaign follows the separate conviction of her former partner, Robert Lee Hastings, for intentional strangulation and assault by beating. Hastings was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and given a five-year restraining order. He had initially denied the offences before changing his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial.
