A private tutor who began sitting exams and submitting coursework on behalf of his students after being 'led down a dark path' has been jailed. Shahid Adnan, 43, was able to 'live a lifestyle well beyond his wealth' as a result of the audacious con, boasting high-end BMW and Audi cars and an impressive house.
However, the father's scheme was exposed when a client handed over a USB stick to a Liverpool John Moores University lecturer, initially raising suspicions that he had netted up to £2 million from his deception. A 'highly educated man' with a PhD, he was forced to give up his lucrative business and began working as an Uber driver, ultimately ending up in prison.
How the scam was uncovered
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Adnan's crimes came to light after Dr Tom Berry, from JMU's School of Computer Science and Mathematics, was handed a USB stick containing coursework by a student in February 2023. The storage device was found to have been used by Adnan and his 'contract cheating' company Study Sharp Ltd.
Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting, described how the pen drive also contained information about modules, due dates for work, and login credentials for the JMU network, allowing the user to submit coursework and access online exams.
Adnan, of Lysander Close in Everton, was found to have accessed these systems using several different student logins between 2021 and 2023. The names of these account holders were cross-referenced against payments into his bank account, with the computer forensics undergraduate who handed in the USB having paid him more than £14,000.
Search and investigation
A search of Adnan's home revealed £5,500 in cash and two high-end vehicles: a BMW 5 Series and an Audi A4. In interview, he told detectives he had been working as a private tutor since 2007, mostly for international students, gaining business by word of mouth.
Adnan initially claimed customers occasionally used his laptop to download coursework materials and said he was paid £30 per hour. The married father of four, whose wife did not work, also worked as an Amazon delivery driver. When asked how he met expenses, including his mortgage and high-standard furnishings, he replied that he 'sometimes had more work, but also sometimes less work' and maintained he had paid for the cars with cash from savings.
However, Adnan ultimately admitted sitting exams while posing as students, reporting he received £250 per exam, adding it 'didn't happen often, maybe two or three times'. He also received a similar fee for completing coursework, which he had done for students at both JMU and the University of Huddersfield.
Extent of the fraud
Two laptops seized from his home contained usernames and passwords of 124 students at approximately 10 universities across the country. His bank accounts had received credits far outstripping any legitimate earnings over the previous five years.
Adnan, who has no previous convictions, had an overall 'agreed benefit from unlawfully sitting exams and submitting coursework' of £300,000. Ian Whitehurst, defending, said: 'Initially, it started at a position in excess of £2 million. A forensic accounts report reduced it considerably.'
Whitehurst added: 'The defendant obviously worked in this sector for some time. The criminality is sophisticated and prolonged. Critically, there has been no reoffending since these offences. The defendant now works as an Uber driver to support his family. He is a devoted family man.'
Sentencing
Adnan admitted fraud by false representation, causing a computer to perform a function to secure unauthorised access, and money laundering. Appearing in the dock wearing a navy blue polo shirt, he sat with his head bowed as he was jailed for three years.
Sentencing, Recorder Andrew Vinson said: 'Your offending was both prolonged and sophisticated. You started out as a legitimate tutor, and you are a highly educated individual. You have been led down a dark path. You have abused your position to fraudulently monetise exam and coursework systems without regard to how that cheating cheapens such matters for others.'
Adnan could now be ordered to repay his ill-gotten gains under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Detective Sergeant Adam Dagnall of Merseyside Police said: 'Our enquiries confirmed Adnan was able to log into student accounts and complete assessments for them, living a lifestyle well beyond his declared wealth. Cheating at academic institutions is serious, and if left unchallenged, can result in students gaining qualifications without necessary skills.'
JMU said in a statement: 'We are pleased that the diligence of our staff identified this serious issue and supported the investigation. The university promotes academic integrity and takes all forms of academic dishonesty seriously.'
