A teenager who orchestrated a four-year catfishing campaign using stolen photographs has been ordered to pay £10,000 in compensation to her victim, after a High Court ruling in London.
Victim left scared to leave home
Sasha-Jay Davies, 19, from Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, had her identity stolen by Elha Mai Weston, another teenager from the same town. Weston used Sasha-Jay's pictures to create multiple fake profiles across platforms including TikTok, Tinder, Hinge, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and SoundCloud, collectively amassing over 100,000 followers between 2022 and 2026.
The ordeal began when Sasha-Jay was just 16, after a TikTok account appeared using her image. Despite reporting the abuse to police and the platforms, the campaign continued for nearly four years. Sasha-Jay said she became scared to leave her home after being approached in real life by men who believed they were in a relationship with her. In one instance, a man showed her messages he had exchanged with a fake account over several months, believing he had a genuine romantic connection.
Legal action after media exposure
The fake accounts were only largely deleted after Sasha-Jay appeared on BBC's 'This Morning'. Her lawyers, Cohen Davis Solicitors, then identified Weston through open-source intelligence, linking the fake persona's network to her real identity. Sasha-Jay sued for misuse of private information and harassment at the High Court.
In a settlement statement read to Mr Justice Fordham, Sasha-Jay's barrister Chris Zabilowicz said: "Miss Weston engaged in a sustained campaign of online impersonation, commonly known as catfishing, of Miss Davies. Miss Weston created and operated numerous accounts under the fictitious identity 'Sophie' and variants thereof, including 'Sophie Kadare'. Those accounts collectively accumulated more than 100,000 followers and used photographs - and, in due course, AI-generated imagery - of Miss Davies without her knowledge or consent."
Weston admits wrongdoing
Weston, through her lawyers, admitted her conduct was wrongful and agreed to pay £10,000 in compensation. The settlement, contained in a Tomlin Order, also includes an undertaking not to repeat the behaviour. Any breach could lead to contempt of court proceedings and a possible jail sentence.
The court heard that Weston "deeply regrets her actions and apologises to Miss Davies wholeheartedly and unreservedly for everything she has been put through."
Victim speaks out
Speaking after the hearing, Sasha-Jay said: "For four years someone else was living a life as me, talking to men as me, while strangers approached me in the street believing they knew me. I reported it over and over and was made to feel nothing could be done. I stopped feeling safe leaving the house. Hearing her admit in court that it was her, and apologise, means I can finally start getting my life back. I want other girls going through this to know it is not hopeless, the person doing it can be found."
Lawyer calls for police investigation
Sasha-Jay's solicitor, Yair Cohen, said: "For four years, Sasha did everything right. She reported it to the platforms and to the police, and she was failed, because the person behind the accounts was anonymous and everyone treated anonymity as the end of the road. It is not. We identified her using open-source intelligence, from the traces her own accounts left behind. Once a catfish loses their anonymity, the campaign collapses."
Cohen added: "Catfishing is one of the most misunderstood forms of online abuse. People imagine a distant stranger, but in case after case we have handled, including this one, the person behind the accounts was somebody within the victim's own world. There is no offence called catfishing on the statute book, but the conduct around it - harassment, misuse of private information, breach of data protection law - is unlawful, and the civil courts can deliver identification, compensation and enforceable protection. This matter is also not over. Now that we have the evidence and an acknowledgement of wrongdoing in open court, we will be asking the police to investigate."
