In 2021, Naveed Ashraf, a then 37-year-old taxi driver from Levenshulme, was jailed following an online grooming investigation and decoy operation.
Naveed Ashraf, of Longden Road, Levenshulme, was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court to three years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to arrange or facilitate sexual activity with a child, and two counts of possessing indecent images of children. The court heard that Ashraf initiated digital contact with profiles he believed to be 13-year-old girls, transmitting illicit material and explicit communications over social media platforms.
In January 2020, Ashraf drove nearly 50 miles from South Manchester to Kidsgrove, North Staffordshire, intending to meet a decoy profile operated by the group Justice4Kids. Upon his arrival at the location, group members confronted him, recorded the encounter on video, and contacted law enforcement. Police arrested Ashraf at the scene and seized electronic devices, and a subsequent forensic examination uncovered search histories related to the age of consent. Judge David Fletcher noted that Ashraf had planned the meeting in detail before handing down the custodial sentence.
In addition to his three-year prison term, Ashraf was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
He was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to ensure strict ongoing monitoring of his digital activities and manage public safety risks.
Image Credit: Justice4Kids
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