Aug 29, 2024 10:39:00

A man who posed as a teenage YouTuber and asked 286 women for sexual images was sentenced to 17 years in prison

An Australian court has sentenced 29-year-old Mohammed Zain-ul-Abidin Rasheed to 17 years in prison for posing as a teenage YouTuber and contacting 286 women and threatening them into filming sexually explicit videos of them.

Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed sentenced to 17 years in jail for sexual abuse of hundreds of victims - ABC News

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-27/muhammad-zain-ul-abideen-rasheed-sextortion-sentencing/104274776

Man posing as teen YouTuber gets 17 years for horrific global sextortion scheme | Ars Technica

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/08/man-posing-as-teen-youtuber-gets-17-years-for-horrific-global-sextortion-scheme/

Muhammad Zain-ul-Abidin Rasheed, who lives in Australia, contacted women both in Australia and abroad on social media, posing as a 15-year-old YouTuber with many followers. Rasheed first sent images of other famous influencers and chatted with the women, gaining their trust. As he gained their trust, Rasheed asked the women to send him sexual images and videos.

Rasheed also presented his victims with a countdown timer, threatening to send screenshots to their friends if they did not send him more explicit images. Judge Amanda Burrows of the District Court of WA, Australia, said Rasheed saved the videos his victims sent him and live-streamed them to as many as 98 adults at one point.

Rasheed had been threatening a total of 286 women in countries including Japan, the UK, the US and France, 180 of whom were girls under the age of 16.

Rasheed was arrested in 2020, and his victims were subsequently identified and

indicted in 2021. Among the 286 victims in the 665 cases, some committed suicide after feeling 'extreme fear' or 'excessive pain' from Rasheed. The Australian Federal Police reported that 'some victims sent images of their self-harming to Rasheed, but Rasheed's requests did not stop.'

In his ruling, Judge Burrows said, 'Rasheed's crimes were degrading and humiliating to women, and live streaming the content to other pedophiles only exacerbated the situation.' In addition, because Rasheed had previously sexually abused a 14-year-old girl twice and received a five-year sentence, the court extended Rasheed's prison sentence to 17 years, citing 'high risk of reoffending.' Rasheed is expected to be eligible for parole as early as 2033.

During the trial, Judge Burrows told Rasheed, 'Your victim will live in perpetuity the fear that the images and videos she sent to you will be distributed further. ' In addition, Deputy Commissioner David McLean of the Australian Federal Police pointed out, 'His abhorrent behaviour and disregard for the obvious distress, humiliation and fear of the victim has resulted in one of the most horrific sextortion cases prosecuted in Australia. The victim in this case will suffer lifelong trauma.'