Rapist who 'catfished' Muslim men on Snapchat and Grindr jailed

A man who created more than 100 fake social media profiles to blackmail and sexually assault other young Muslim men has been jailed for 16 years.

Waleed Saeed, a British-born Muslim of Somali descent, was sentenced in what one Metropolitan Police officer described as the biggest "sexploitation" case he has dealt with.

Snaresbrook Crown Court, London, heard how the 31-year-old used a network of fake Snapchat, Instagram and Grindr profiles to solicit intimate images of Muslim men and teenagers as young as 15, many of whom privately identified as gay or bisexual.

He would then threaten to "out" them to their friends and family.

On occasions when victims could not pay his ransom, he would attempt to coerce them into meeting in person so he could sexually assault them.

Saeed had been convicted of 17 offences, including rape, blackmail and making indecent images of children.

In March, Saeed pleaded guilty to nine charges relating to four victims, including two counts of threatening to share intimate images, two counts of blackmail and two counts of making indecent images of a child.

A jury then found him guilty of eight other counts of charges including rape, attempted rape and blackmail.

The BBC understands The Met is now looking into around 100 more potential victims.

DC Peter Collington, who led the force's investigation, told the BBC: "I am making a direct appeal to other victim-survivors who may not have had the confidence to come forward.

"We want to treat you with compassion, with sensitivity and with absolute confidentiality. What has been done to you is wrong, and we will do everything in our power to support you."

Saeed's offending, which dates back to 2018, was discovered in August 2024 when a rape in a London park was reported.

The 18-year-old victim told police he had exchanged sexual images with someone he believed to be a transgender woman, but was in fact Saeed.

Shortly afterwards, he received threatening messages from another account run by Saeed, revealing his true identity and demanding payment in exchange for not releasing the images.

When the victim could not pay, Saeed coerced him into meeting in a London park late at night on three separate occasions, where he sexually assaulted and raped him, while wearing a face covering to hide his identity.

Forensic evidence recovered from the victim's phone led police to arrest Saeed and seize two mobile phones containing further intimate images of victims, some of whom are believed to be children.

He used usernames such as "Trans Girl Leah", "amzyyyy09", and "ComeDeal" to target victims in London and across the UK.

Police uncovered a series of reports dating back as far as 2018, following what police called a "sinister pattern of offending".

Handing down the sentence, Judge HHJ Greene addressed Saeed directly: "You, yourself, are gay and like some of your victims, deeply troubled by what you perceive as your culture's negative views of homosexuality.

"Your victims were all young men of similar age, teenagers. You took advantage of the fact that cultural issues made them particularly vulnerable to the threat of exposure."

The judge told the court Saeed was "adept" at "catfishing and sexploitation."

"Once your victims had been lured into believe you were someone they might find attractive, they would be tricked into sharing intimate images of themselves, images you would be careful to insist would include their faces, so they could then be threatened by your exposure."

The court heard how one victim - a university student who had shared sexual videos and pictures with Saeed - felt unable to confide in family because of their "strict culture".

A victim impact statement read to the court said: "I don't go home much because I am constantly afraid they'll find out.

"They would be very ashamed of me and not want to talk to me anymore."

The statement also detailed how he had needed to take anti-anxiety medication.

"Whenever I hear the Snapchat notification I feel scared and have to check it straight away, the first thing I think is it could be a picture or video of me he could've posted."

Detectives are now appealing for other victims, or those who may know of other victims, to come forward.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "Please be assured that victims will have their identity protected and privacy completely respected.

"Victims will not be required to share details of their experiences to their family members or friends if they do not wish to.

"Alternatively, for anyone looking for support that is independent from the police, you can contact Galop, the UK's LGBT+ anti-abuse charity."