Paedophile Desi Ex-Teacher Jailed for 15 Years

Ex-Teacher, 37, Jailed for 15 Years Over Grooming and Sexual Assault of Six Teenage Girls

Syed Shahreear Ahmed, a 37-year-old former secondary school maths teacher from Barkingside, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a shocking campaign of grooming and sexual abuse against six teenage girls. The Metropolitan Police have made an urgent appeal for any further potential victims to come forward, expressing concern that the "manipulative serial predator" may have committed other unreported offences.

Ahmed, of Mossford Lane, Barkingside, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, following his conviction for 14 child sex offences. In addition to the jail term, he will serve an additional five years on licence and will be placed on the sexual offences register for life.

The Offending and Investigation-Between 2019 and 2023, Ahmed targeted six girls, aged between 13 and 15, by using a fake online persona—posing as a teenage boy—to befriend them on social media and lure them into in-person meetings.

The court heard details of his calculated method:

Online Grooming: Ahmed used social media platforms like Wizz, creating a fake profile to track and build trust with his young, often vulnerable, targets.

In-Person Meetings: He encouraged the girls to meet him face-to-face, where he committed his appalling acts.

The Charges: On June 13, at Southwark Crown Court, he was found guilty of 14 child sex offences, including:

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 previously pleaded guilty to one count of taking an indecent image of a child and three counts of making indecent images of children. The images ranged from Category A (most severe) to Category C.

Ahmed was a maths teacher at a secondary school in Essex until he resigned following his arrest on May 3, 2023.

The Investigation and Arrest-The crimes first came to light in May 2023. A 15-year-old girl reported to Kent Police that Ahmed had approached her via the social media app Wizz on March 19.

A separate incident on May 2, 2023, proved critical: a 14-year-old girl met Ahmed after speaking online. When he attempted to sexually assault her in his car by touching her thigh, the terrified girl jumped out of his moving vehicle to safety and immediately reported the incident.

Ahmed was arrested by Kent Police on May 3, 2023, on suspicion of sexual assault, grooming, and kidnap.

The complexity of the case quickly became apparent due to the victims' locations, which led to the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Central unit taking the lead. The investigation became a major, multi-force effort spanning five counties—involving collaboration with officers from Cambridgeshire, Thames Valley, Hertfordshire, Essex, and Kent Police.

Detectives seized and downloaded data from two of Ahmed's phones, uncovering 500 GB of information, including thousands of social media interactions, text messages, videos, and images spanning several years. This meticulous review allowed investigators to establish a timeline of his offences and identify four additional victims who were subsequently approached directly by police. Ahmed was formally charged on August 16, 2024.

Police Urge Public to Help Identify More Victims

Detective Inspector Peter Harvey, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Central unit, praised the bravery of the girls who came forward, which was crucial to securing the conviction.

He issued a stark warning to the public: “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,” DI Harvey added.