Predator who added seven and eight-year-olds on Snapchat caught by decoy profile

A man from Bradford who admitted to a number of child sex offences has been jailed for six years.

Rehan Ali, 24, of Falsgrave Avenue, used snapchat between October and November 2024 to befriend two girls who were seven and eight years old.

Ali then contacted a child he believed to be a girl aged 13, on Facebook and then WhatsApp.

He engaged in sexual communications making attempts to incite the child into sexual activity.

Rehan Ali, 24, of Falsgrave Avenue admitted two counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, making an indecent photograph of a child, attempt to incident a girl aged 13 -15 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

This was a decoy profile operation by an online child abuse group.

On August 10 he was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to six years in prison, given a sexual harm prevention order and made to sign the sex offenders register.

PC William Metcalf of the Bradford’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team said: “We welcome the sentenced handed down to Ali today. Ali used social media to target and exploit children.

“He deliberately contacted underage girls online for his own sexual gratification.

“As a police force, we remain committed to safeguarding children and would encourage parents and young people to report any concerns about suspicious online content to us.”