He is the son of a banker and lives in a gated mansion but Timothy Stokely did not make his money from any ordinary means.

Mr Stokely, 37, is the founder of London-based OnlyFans, the online adult service booming in popularity where ‘creators’ share content for a subscription fee.

OnlyFans has only been in existence for four years but it has already been credited with revolutionising the adult industry, but some performers have claimed they feel pimped by the service.

Fans pay anywhere from £3.90 to £39 a month for pictures from their favourite creators, while the site takes 20 per cent commission.

Timothy Stokely, 37, is the founder of London-based adult content-sharing site OnlyFans, which has seen a surge in popularity during lockdown

Timothy Stokely, 37, is the founder of London-based adult content-sharing site OnlyFans, which has seen a surge in popularity during lockdown

The banker's son has bought a £2.4million mansion in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, with the profits made from the site, which has more than 50million users worldwide

The banker’s son has bought a £2.4million mansion in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, with the profits made from the site, which has more than 50million users worldwide

Lily Adrianne, 27, from Auckland, New Zealand, earns more than £78,000 a month on the site

Lily Adrianne, 27, auto impostor from Auckland, New Zealand, earns more than £78,000 a month on the site 

Since appearing on Love Island in 2018, Megan Barton Hanson has joined X-rated subscription site OnlyFans to sell raunchy pictures

During lockdown British glamour model Dannii Harwood became the first Briton to make £1million from the website since joining in 2019

Since appearing on Love Island in 2018, Megan Barton Hanson (left) has joined OnlyFans. During lockdown British glamour model Dannii Harwood (right) became the first Briton to make £1million from the website since joining in 2019

OnlyFans has only been in existence for four years but it has already been credited with revolutionising the adult industry, but some performers have claimed they feel pimped by the service

OnlyFans has only been in existence for four years but it has already been credited with revolutionising the adult industry, but some performers have claimed they feel pimped by the service 

The site has boomed during the coronavirus lockdown, with a 42 per cent increase in new accounts being made during the period, taking the total to nearly 100,000 Britons.

Worldwide there are 660,00 creator accounts with 50million users and OnlyFans boasts it has paid creators more than £956m.

This would mean Mr Stokely has seen the company draw in revenues of more than more than £1.2bn.