A man named Waleed Saeed, aged 31 and residing in Ilford, east London, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by Snaresbrook Crown Court for his crimes. He targeted young Muslim individuals on Snapchat, posing as a woman or transgender person to solicit intimate images. Subsequently, Saeed blackmailed the victims by threatening to expose them if they did not comply with his demands for money. Metropolitan Police revealed that Saeed’s manipulation and cruelty caused significant harm to his victims, two of whom were minors aged 15 and 17.

The investigation into Saeed’s actions began in August 2024 when a man reported being raped in a London park after exchanging sexual images with someone he believed to be a transgender woman on social media. Saeed then coerced the victim into multiple meetings where he sexually assaulted and raped him while concealing his identity.

It took authorities several months to track down Saeed through his social media accounts, leading to his arrest in November 2024. Further examination of his devices revealed intimate images related to additional unidentified victims, some of whom were suspected to be minors.

Saeed faced multiple charges, including rape, blackmail, and making indecent images of children. The investigation uncovered that Saeed had been targeting young men of South Asian and Muslim backgrounds since 2018, exploiting their reluctance to involve the police.

Ultimately, Saeed pleaded guilty to his charges in March 2025, with a jury finding him guilty of additional offenses later that month. In addition to his prison sentence, he was issued a 10-year Sexual Harm Protection Order.

The police are urging anyone who may have interacted with Saeed under various usernames on Snapchat to come forward. Detective Constable Peter Collington emphasized the importance of supporting all victims and encouraged those who have not yet spoken out to seek assistance. The authorities can be contacted at 101, quoting reference number 5335/18JUNE2026.