Teacher jailed for child sex offences as detectives appeal for further victims to come forward

A teacher who pretended to be a teenage boy to pursue young girls online has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following a complex investigation led by Met detectives.

Syed Shahreear Ahmed, 37 (21.09.88) of Mossford Lane, Barkingside, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, 26 September.

He will spend a further five years on licence and remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Ahmed was found guilty, at the same court, on Friday, 13 June of 14 child sex offences. The verdict is the result of an investigation that saw Ahmed offending spanned five English counties.

Between 2019 and 2023, Ahmed would groom six girls online aged between 13-years-old and 15-years-old, creating and then sending indecent images. He would then manufacture a face to face meeting where he would then seriously sexually assault the victims. Ahmed offending first came to light in May 2023 after he was arrested on 03 May 2023 suspicion of sexual assault.

Detective Inspector Peter Harvey, from the Met Police’s Specialist Crime Central unit, said:

“It is due to the bravery of the girls who came forward that we have been able to achieve this outcome and I thank them for providing the evidence needed to ensure Ahmed will face a long term of imprisonment.

“During a long-running and complex investigation alongside Cambridgeshire, Thames Valley, Essex and Kent Police, we were able to piece together Ahmed’s offending.

“He would track children online, before quickly manufacturing a personal meeting and carrying out the most appalling acts on girls as young as 14-years-old.

“A manipulative serial predator, I remain concerned that Ahmed may have committed other offences that have yet to be reported to us.

“I would urge anyone who may recognise this man and believe he may have come into contact with you or your loved ones to please contact us immediately.

“Specialist officers are available to offer support and signpost to external partners. Any reports will be fully investigated and dealt with the utmost sensitivity, care and compassion.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues from Cambridgeshire, Thames Valley, Hertfordshire, Essex and Kent Police who showed true professionalism and determination and were key in bringing Ahmed to justice.”

The court heard how Ahmed offending first came to light in May 2023. A 15-year-old girl reported to Kent Police that she had been approached by Ahmed via social media app, Wizz on 19 March 2023.

On 02 May 2023, a 14-year-old girl met Ahmed after speaking online. He attempted to sexually assault her in his car, touching her thigh. The terrified girl jumped out of Ahmed’s moving vehicle to safety and reported the incident to Kent Police on the same day who began to make enquiries.

The two girls separately came forward to police, and a further four were identified and approached directly by police.

The incidents would see Ahmed, using a fake persona, befriend the girls via social media, before quickly encouraging them to meet face to face.

Ahmed was arrested on 03 May 2023 by Kent Police on suspicion of sexual assault, grooming and kidnap.

It was quickly established that other police forces were investigating Ahmed, and Met detectives subsequently took over the case due to the geographical spread of the victims.

Detectives downloaded two of Ahmed’s phones originally seized by Kent Police. The material amounted to 500 GB bytes of data including social media and text messages, videos and images.

Officers spent months examining this material to understand Ahmed’s pattern of offending. They read back over a thousand texts and conversations, some spanning years, to identify other potential victims.

Detectives were then able to create a timeline of his offending and Ahmed was charged on 16 August 2024.

On Friday, 13 June Ahmed was found guilty of:

• three counts of rape of a child
• three counts of sexual assault
• one count of attempted sexual assault
• two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
• five counts of meeting a child for sexual grooming

He had already pleaded guilty to:

• One count of taking an indecent image of a child
• Three counts of making indecent images of children

The images ranged from category A - the most severe – to category C.

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Should you wish to report a crime, you can do so by contacting police on 999 in an emergency – we have specially trained officers who will listen and investigate where needed.

Alternatively call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.

If you live in England or Wales and have been affected by this case and would like to seek support from specialist agencies, please contact the independent charity Rape Crisis via their 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line or call them on 0808 500 2222.

Specially trained staff are there to listen, answer questions and offer emotional support.