A 38-year-old secondary school maths teacher who created fictitious online personas to groom, sexually assault, and rape vulnerable young girls has been handed a 10-year extended prison sentence at Southwark Crown Court.
Syed Ahmed, residing in Redbridge, Greater London, was sentenced on 5 November 2026 following a Crown Court trial that detailed an extensive campaign of predatory behaviour targeting young girls across digital platforms.
The prosecution outlined how Ahmed systematically used deceptive online profiles, featuring false names, fabricated ages, and heavily altered photographs, to pose as a teenage boy. He initiated contact with girls aged between 13 and 16 on networking applications including Wizz and Yubo before directing communications to Snapchat.
Prosecuting barrister Daniel O’Donoghue told the court that Ahmed employed flattery, declarations of affection, promises of financial gifts, and talk of romantic futures to win the trust of the children. Once trust was established, Ahmed moved interactions towards sexual topics, soliciting indecent photographs and coercing five of the victims into meeting him in person.
On each occasion, Ahmed collected the victim in his vehicle and drove to remote and isolated spots—including woodland, an unfurnished flat, and a summerhouse—where he subjected the girls to sexual assaults and rapes. The court heard the victims were completely unaware of his real identity, believing they were communicating with a boy their own age.
Ahmed had worked as a secondary school mathematics teacher in Essex, a position in which he had undergone mandatory, recurring child safeguarding training. Despite professional responsibilities obliging him to protect children from harm, Ahmed exploited social media channels outside the classroom to target minors who did not attend his school. He formally resigned from his teaching post following his arrest by police in May 2023.
Victim impact statements read in court highlighted long-term psychological distress, social withdrawal, and chronic anxiety. One victim described living in constant terror that Ahmed would track her down prior to the trial conclusion, whilst another disclosed the ongoing fear she suffered after discovering the individual she knew as “Miles” had lied about his identity and knew details of her life.
Before the court, Ahmed entered guilty pleas to:
Sexual communication with a child
Meeting a child following sexual grooming
Taking and making indecent images of children
Causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
Arranging the commission of a child sexual offence
Following trial deliberations, the jury convicted him of further charges on the indictment:
Seven counts of rape
Six counts of sexual assault
One count of blackmail
Two counts of meeting a child following sexual grooming
Ahmed had previously appeared before Southwark Crown Court in September 2025, where he received an extended sentence of 20 years—comprising 15 years in custody and a five-year extended licence—after being convicted of three counts of rape, five counts of meeting a child following grooming, and two counts of assault by penetration.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, all victims and complainants in these proceedings are protected by mandatory, lifelong statutory anonymity. Any publication, broadcast, or public dissemination of information capable of leading to their identification is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Sentencing Ahmed for the latest convictions, the court imposed a 10-year custodial term alongside a three-year extended licence period, reflecting the serious danger he presents to young people, alongside lifetime notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register.
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