Man sentenced for child sex offences in Reading
He travelled from London in the belief he'd abuse the children
Last updated 17th Jun 2021
A man has been jailed for child sex offences after coming to Reading with the intention of carrying out serious sexual assaults on two children.
29 year old Shahmaan Ahmed from Roman Road in London was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Ahmed travelled from London to Reading on the 26 August 2020 with the intention to rape two children after engaging online and on social platforms. He believed the children to be eight and three years old.
During this investigation, the victims were not real and no children in this scenario were ever in any danger.
Ahmed was arrested by officers from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT).
DC Nick Hook from the Thames Valley Police POLIT, said:
“Ahmed was armed with excuses when he was arrested and throughout his trial.
“However, the evidence was overwhelming and the jury saw through his feeble attempts to convince them he was in fact a ‘good guy’ trying to expose others involved in the sexual abuse of children.
“Ahmed’s intensions were clear, he went to Reading that day in the belief that he was going to abuse children.
“A particularly distressing part of this case is that he brought sweets with him as gifts for the children he believed he was there to abuse, the youngest being just three years old.
“It is important to acknowledge that these children were not real and on this occasion Ahmed was not posing a danger to any children when he travelled to Reading.
“This is a very distressing case and I understand it could cause some concerns in the community, but we will always thoroughly investigate reports of this nature.
“If you are concerned about someone’s behaviour or you think you might have information which could help an investigation like this one, please contact your local police force on 101.”
Detective Inspector Lisa Heaton, from SEROCU, said:
“SEROCU is committed to working with local forces to continue to protect children from sexual exploitation.
“There is consistently a variety of operations ongoing across the country to disrupt child sexual offences and we will keep investigating in order to safeguard children and ensure there is no place people feel they can pursue criminality against the most vulnerable.
“Your excuses will be exposed and the evidence gathered, as in this case, will be used to convict you.
“If you feel you need help or would like to report suspicious or concerning behaviour online please call 101 and talk to your local force. You can also contact the Lucy Faithful Foundation for anonymous support and can use the Stop It Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900.
“We will always follow up allegations and enforcement agencies will keep working together to bring to justice individuals who use the internet to facilitate the abuse of children.”