A supply teacher who covertly filmed schoolgirls and used artificial intelligence to create sexualised images of pupils has been jailed for six years. Abusali Rahman, 37, of no fixed address but from Salford, pleaded guilty to 21 offences at Bolton Crown Court on October 15.
How the teacher was caught
Rahman came to police attention after a mother spotted a picture of her daughter on an X account with more than 1,000 followers. The account featured stolen images of teenage girls accompanied by inappropriate, sexualised comments. The mother reported her discovery to police and also told the school.
Officers later identified the account operator as Rahman, a qualified teacher who had graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a teaching degree and qualified in July 2023. He had passed a disclosure and barring check and had no previous convictions.
The extent of the offending
Police identified 12 girls, aged between 13 and 16, who were victims of upskirting at seven high schools across Bury, Bolton and Salford. Rahman had taught at 25 schools across the North West. The upskirting images were taken between January and June last year, using his iPhone placed in his top pocket.
Rahman also saved pictures of children he had taught from their social media accounts and used AI to turn them into sexualised content. He had downloaded almost 200 indecent images of children between December 2023 and June 2025. A note on his phone suggested he planned to sell access to a Telegram account for £20.
Police and prosecution response
Investigating officer DC Lisa McGaffin said: “He has never given us any information or explanation as to why he has committed these offences. It’s incredibly frustrating that that happens sometimes. But it has also been very difficult to review all of the images as well.”
DC McGaffin added: “These are children who are meant to be in a safe environment. They have been exploited by somebody who is in a position of trust, so I’m horrified that that has happened.”
Senior Crown Prosecutor Alexandra Mann said: “Abusali Rahman abused his position as a teacher to capture images of children without their knowledge in a school environment where they were entitled to feel safe. Rahman also created and shared sexualised deepfake images of pupils on social media which is a gross breach of trust.”
