A 23-year-old paedophile, Shabaz Hussain, from Middlesbrough has received a nine-year prison sentence for child sexual crimes. In May this year Shabaz Hussain was found guilty of a dozen offences which comprise several counts of:
- Possession of indecent images of children
- Sexual communication with a child
- Arranging/facilitating commission of a child sex offence
- Sexual activity with a child
The sentencing follows an extensive investigation by the Cleveland Police’s specialised Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) after a report concerning Hussain’s online communication with a minor was submitted to them.
An ensuing analysis of his devices revealed that Shabaz Hussain had engaged in the online grooming of a female minor for several years, beginning when she was 12, while masquerading as a youngster himself.
Authorities uncovered that Shabaz Hussain had fabricated a fictitious female child profile to establish the youngster’s trust.
This profile was utilised to establish communication with the youngster, so reinforcing trust in Shabaz Hussain, and it was employed to exploit and manipulate the victim.
The online grooming would eventually lead to Shabaz Hussain arranging to travel and meet the child when she was 15 years old in order to engage in sexual activity with her under false pretence.
Speaking after court today, officer in the case POLIT PC Evans said: “I’d like to pay tribute to the victims for their bravery in speaking to police and for supporting our enquiries which inevitably meant they had to relive their experiences with Shabaz Hussain as we gathered information and evidence.
“Shabaz Hussain’s deceit in concealing his true identity while online and then when meeting the victims in person shows the danger he poses and I’m relieved he will now spend time in prison, with further restrictions on his freedoms after he is released. I hope the victims and their families can now begin to rebuild their lives.
“Cases like this illustrate the need for everyone to be aware of the dangers of speaking with people online; they may not be who they seem and we’d always urge extreme caution, especially when youngsters are engaging with people they don’t actually know.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.