Crown seeks 2-year term for Lethbridge coach who made AI sex images of players
A judge in Lethbridge reserved his decision after hearing sentencing arguments for a former girls' football coach convicted of making child pornography using artificial intelligence.
Why it matters
The case highlights how AI tools are being used to create child exploitation material, including within youth sports settings in Alberta.
A sentencing hearing was held in Lethbridge on Thursday for Justin Tillery, a former southern Alberta girls' football coach who pleaded guilty to making and possessing child pornography after creating artificially generated sexualized images of some of his players.
A Crown prosecutor told the judge Tillery should serve two years in prison, while Tillery's lawyer argued a community-based sentence would be appropriate.
Tillery was originally charged in 2025 with making, distributing, possessing and accessing child pornography, as well as transmitting an intimate image without consent. He later pleaded guilty to the charges of making and possessing child pornography.
The judge reserved his sentencing decision following the hearing.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.