Mumbai, August 28: Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed was jailed for 17 years by an Australian court on August 27, for pretending to be a teenage YouTube star and blackmailing young girls online to perform sexual acts on camera. According to a report in ABC News, Rasheed, who is 29 years of age now, pretended to be a 15-year-old American Internet star on YouTube and extorted children on livestreams.

Rasheed was described as one of Australia's worst online child sexual abusers, as he pleaded guilty to 119 charges relating to 286 people from 20 countries such as the UK, the US and France. More than half of Rasheed's victims were under the age of 16 years. Judge Amanda Burrows of the District Court of Western Australia in Perth, handed down Rasheed's 17-year jail term noting that there was "no comparable case" of such magnitude in Australia's history of sexual abuse crimes.

How the Paedophile Victimised Children

The alleged predator Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed posed as a famed 15-year-old celebrity on YouTube and leveraged it to get into conversations with children, mostly underage girls online. He would forced these children to reveal their sexual fantasies and other intimate details, while asking them to send their pictures, which he could use to rate them. Rasheed would then use this information to coerce them into performing sexual acts online. The nature of these acts was highly disturbing, degrading and escalated at times into sexual activities involving other children and even animals.

When the children refused to comply and perform these acts, Rasheed would set a countdown timer and threaten to send their explicit messages and pictures to friends and family. As reported by the BBC, Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner David McLean said, "The callous disregard this man had for his victims around the world and their distress, humiliation and fear make it one of the most horrific sextortion cases prosecuted in Australia. This type of online exploitation and abuse is devastating and causes lifelong trauma." UK Shocker: Cop Pleads Guilty to 146 Child Sex Crimes in South Wales With Youngest Victim Being 10-Year-Old, Chilling Details Emerge in Court.

Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed Jailed for 17 Years

Rasheed was first charged by the Interpol along with investigators from the US in 2021 during a police raid on his house after the Australian police notified them, reported ABC News. Moreover, the authorities found Rasheed involved in misogynistic incel communities online - men who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner, mostly women, despite desiring one. He was also serving a five-year jail term for alleged multiple sexual abuse of a girl inside his car at a Perth park.

Court Verdict

Recognising the gravity of the online sextortion and devastating abuse that would cause lifelong trauma to the victims, the Perth Court sentenced Rasheed to 17 years of imprisonment. The court noted Rasheed's inhumanity, as he continued to extort his victims despite their distress and fear, to the point where many of the children got suicidal. The court ordered his sentence for around 665 offences, which occurred over 11 months. Australia Shocker: Sydney Female Teacher Has Sex With Student in Her Car, Sends Video Pleasuring Herself to Minor; Suspended.

Although Rasheed was already engaged in a treatment plan for sex offenders, as per the BBC report, the court ascertained that he was potentially at a high risk of reoffending and continuing his acts. Thus, the court has held his eligibility to apply for parole until August 2033, when Rasheed will turn 38.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2024 02:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).