Travelled to a town intent on raping a toddler.

Man Jailed for Eight Years After Attempting to Rape Toddler

A 29-year-old man, Shahmaan Ahmed, from London, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to arrange a meeting to rape a toddler. Ahmed travelled to Reading with the intention of carrying out the abuse, but was apprehended by police who had set up a sting operation.

The police created two fictitious children to lure Ahmed into a trap. Upon his arrest, officers discovered that Ahmed had brought sweets with him, intended for his supposed victims. Judge Kirsty Real, during sentencing, expressed no doubt that Ahmed would have abused the children had they been real.

The court heard that Ahmed had engaged in online conversations with an undercover police officer, arranging to have sex with the two fictitious children, aged three and eight. When police seized Ahmed's mobile phone, they uncovered evidence of highly-sexualized messages with other children.

In February, a jury found Ahmed guilty of four counts of arranging child sex offenses. Despite pleading not guilty, the court heard that Ahmed felt "a real sense of revulsion" over his messages, which Judge Real described as "extensive and abhorrent." As part of the sentence, Ahmed was also subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Det Con Nick Hook, an online paedophile investigator, highlighted the importance of deterrence while acknowledging the ongoing challenge posed by individuals willing to engage in such crimes. "We're watching them," he stated. "You can't be on the internet committing this kind of crime and not expect the police to be involved, and we'll do what we can to prevent this thing happening."

In 2022, there were 176 arrests related to online grooming and sexual communication with children across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire.