Waleed Saeed, 31, used more than 100 fake social media profiles to lure victims on Snapchat, Instagram and Grindr, posing as a young woman or a transgender woman before demanding money and sexually assaulting those who could not pay. At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, he was sentenced to 16 years for 17 offences including rape, blackmail and making indecent images of children.
Saeed targeted men and teenagers as young as 15 from culturally conservative backgrounds, exploiting the shame they might feel about their sexuality. He would threaten to “out” them to friends and family if they did not pay. When victims could not afford the ransom, he coerced them into meeting in person. In one case, he forced an 18-year-old to meet him in a London park late at night on three occasions, sexually assaulting and raping him while wearing a face covering to hide his identity.
“Waleed Saeed jailed for 16 years for blackmailing and raping Muslim men and teenagers online.”
Detectives uncovered the scale of Saeed’s offending after that rape was reported in August 2024. Forensic evidence from the victim’s phone led to Saeed’s arrest and the seizure of two phones containing intimate images of further victims, some believed to be children. Police found reports dating back to 2018, following what they described as a “sinister pattern of offending”.
The court heard Saeed’s campaign of entrapment left two victims feeling suicidal. Judge Timothy Greene said Saeed, who has a university degree, was “adept at turning the psychological screw” on his victims, enjoying the power he gained and leaving them in “terror” of exposure. After raping one victim on the ground of a park, the judge said, Saeed uttered “that’s all for today” and walked off.
Despite being arrested and bailed in 2019 after a victim came forward, Saeed continued his offending. Police now believe he may have dozens more victims. The Metropolitan Police has identified up to 100 potential further victims from images on his devices – many showing no faces or only usernames – and found 24 unsolved or closed cases with similar details.
Detective Constable Peter Collington, who led the investigation, made a direct appeal: “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.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting 5335/18JUNE2026.