Australian man Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed, 29, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for one of the worst sextortion cases in the country’s history. Rasheed posed as a famous teenager on social media and blackmailed over 250 girls, many of whom were minors, into performing explicit acts. Despite their distress and pleas for help, Rasheed continued his harmful actions.
The Australian Federal Police and the Western Australia Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team conducted a joint investigation that led to Rasheed’s arrest. Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner David McLean described Rasheed’s actions as callous, distressing, and humiliating. The judge, Amanda Burrows, noted that Rasheed’s offence was of such magnitude that there is no comparable case in the country.
Rasheed pretended to be a 15-year-old American internet star to lure his victims. He would initiate conversations with them and then escalate to discussions about sexual fantasies, threatening to expose them if they did not comply with his demands. He coerced the victims into performing degrading sex acts, sometimes involving family pets and other children in their home.
Despite some victims expressing suicidal thoughts and sending images of self-harm, Rasheed continued to blackmail them, showing a complete disregard for their distress and fear. He has been convicted of multiple charges, including sexual assault, and will be eligible to petition for parole in August 2033.
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