A rapist has been jailed for targeting young Muslim men on Snapchat, posing as a woman to obtain intimate images and then blackmailing them, believing they would be less likely to report the crimes to police.
Waleed Saeed, 31, from Ilford, east London, was sentenced to 16 years in prison at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday. The Metropolitan Police said there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.
Detective Constable Peter Collington, the lead investigator, described Saeed's offending as showing “a level of deliberate manipulation and cruelty that caused immense harm.”
How the Offences Were Committed
Saeed posed as a young woman or transgender woman on Snapchat and requested intimate images from his victims. He then revealed his true identity and threatened to share the images with their families, communities, universities, workplaces, and friends unless they paid him money.
Two of his victims were aged 15 and 17. He was convicted of 17 offences against five victims, including rape, blackmail, and making indecent images of children.
Investigation and Arrest
The investigation began in August 2024 after a man reported being raped in a London park. The victim told police he had exchanged sexual images with someone he believed was a transgender woman. Saeed then sent threatening messages from another account, demanding money and later forcing the victim to meet him in person. During three late-night meetings in a London park, Saeed sexually assaulted and raped the victim while concealing his identity with a face covering.
Police traced the social media accounts to Saeed, and he was arrested in November 2024. Two mobile phones seized from him contained intimate images of other unidentified victims, some believed to be children.
Charges and Sentencing
Saeed was initially charged with eight counts of rape, blackmail, and threatening to share intimate images on November 19, 2024. Further investigation linked him to cases dating back to 2018 in London and other parts of the UK. On March 25, 2025, he was charged with nine additional counts related to four more victims.
He pleaded guilty on March 2, 2026, to charges including two counts of threatening to share intimate images, two counts of blackmail, two counts of making indecent images of a child, intimidation, distributing an indecent image of a child, and disclosing private sexual images with intent to cause distress.
A jury found him guilty on March 12, 2026, of additional charges related to a fifth victim: four counts of rape, attempted rape, causing a male to engage in penetrative sexual activity, threatening to share intimate images, and blackmail.
In addition to the 16-year prison sentence, Saeed was given a 10-year Sexual Harm Protection Order.
Police Appeal for Further Victims
Detective Constable Collington said: “We know Saeed began offending in 2018, deliberately targeting young men from south Asian and Muslim backgrounds on the impression that these victim-survivors would be less likely to contact police.”
Saeed used multiple Snapchat profiles, including variations of the usernames “blsup” and “ComeDeal,” as well as accounts named “Trans Girl Leah” or “amzyyyy09.”
Police are urging anyone who recognizes these usernames or believes they may have been a victim to come forward. Dc Collington added: “You will be treated with compassion, sensitivity and absolute confidentiality. What has been done to you is wrong, and we will do everything in our power to support you.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Metropolitan Police on 101 quoting reference 5335/18JUNE2026.
