A former high-ranking female Northern Territory police officer has claimed colleagues used AI to turn her official portrait into a deepfake pornographic video and shared it among themselves.
The allegations by Janelle Tonkin, the former NT Police Assistant Commissioner and current President of the Australasian Council of Women and Policing, have led to at least one officer being charged. He appeared in Darwin Local Court on Tuesday.
Ms Tonkin said in a statement on Wednesday that she reported the alleged “AI-generated, sexually explicit video” and “co-operated fully with the criminal investigation that followed”, with another former cop appearing in Darwin Local Court on Tuesday, NT News reported.
NT Police have not confirmed how many officers were allegedly involved, or whether any had been penalised, citing legal constraints as matters were still before the courts.
Ms Tonkin said the alleged video, which she became aware of in December 2025, was “extremely distressing, personally and professionally”, and said she planned to speak out about other alleged experiences in the future.
“Having my professional portrait photograph, taken in the course of my job [allegedly] turned into pornography and circulated among colleagues is something no person should have to experience, at work or anywhere else,” she said.
“My experience leading up to, during and following this incident does not stand alone. It sits within a broader set of experiences I’ve had over recent times in this organisation, experiences I haven’t yet spoken about publicly, and intend to, in full, when the time is right.
“For now, I’ll say this much: there remains real work to do, from the most senior levels of the Northern Territory Police Force down to the rank and file, to build a workplace where every officer, regardless of gender, race or religion, is treated with the safety, respect and support they’re entitled to expect.”
Ms Tonkin now advocates for female police officers as the head of the Australasian Council of Women and Policing, which aims to “improve the opportunities and outcomes for women within policing”.
Header image: Left, an official photograph of Janelle Tonkin released by NT Police in April 2024 (NT Police). Right, Ms Tonkin giving a speech to retirees in Darwin (AIR NT).
