A rapist who used fake Snapchat profiles to target young Muslim and south Asian men by threatening to send intimate images of them to their devout families has been jailed for 16 years.In one of Britain's worst 'sextortion' cases, Waleed Saeed, 31, left his vulnerable victims feeling suicidal as he threatened to share intimate images and videos with their relatives to bring shame to their communities.Saeed would pose as a young woman or transgender woman on Snapchat and request intimate images, targeting young Muslim and south Asian men, thinking they would be less likely to speak to police, Detective Constable Peter Collington said.Among his victims were two boys aged 15 and 17, with his offending showing 'a level of deliberate manipulation and cruelty that caused immense harm, the detective told the court.Today, Saeed was sentenced to 16 years behind bars for 17 offences against five victims, which included rape, blackmail and making indecent images of children, the Metropolitan Police said.A probe was first launched against the predator in August 2024, after one of his victims was subjected to a horrendous sex attack in a London park.Saeed first targeted the teen through his Snapchat, posing as a transgender woman. However, the rapist would later reveal his true male identity and began sending him threatening messages from another account.He threatened to send intimate images of the victim to his family if he failed to pay him thousands of pounds.When the victim said he could not pay, Saeed coerced him into meeting up in a park late at night on at least three occasions. Waleed Saeed, 31, (pictured) used fake Snapchat profiles to target young Muslim and south Asian men by threatening to send intimate images of them to their devout families Pictured: The moment Saeed was arrested by police officers for his crimes. He has been jailed for 16 yearsSaeed was wearing a face mask when he abused and raped the teenager, the court heard.After months of attempting to locate Saeed, officers eventually were able to track him down through the social media contact he made with the victim, and he was arrested in November 2024.Two seized mobile phones were found to contain intimate images linked to further unidentified victims, some believed to be children.On November 19, 2024, he was charged with eight counts of rape, blackmail and threatening to share a photograph or film of a person in an intimate state.And further investigations laid bare the horrendous nature of Saeed's crimes, as it was revealed he used several Snapchat accounts to target teenage boys dating back to 2018, in London and across the UK.In each case, Saeed posed as a young woman or transgender woman through fake personas as he requested intimate images, and would then reveal his identity and use images of the victims to blackmail them into silence.He would then reveal his identity and use images of the victims to blackmail them, by threatening exposure to their families, communities, universities, workplaces and friends.One of his teenage victims had contacted police to inform them he had exchanged sexual images with someone he believed to be a transgender woman in 2020, but Saeed was bailed.Saeed then contacted the Muslim victim, demanding he drop the charges, and became 'more and more threatening' as he extorted £3,500 from him, Philip Allman, prosecuting, said.In an impact statement, he said: ‘This crime has caused a loss of trust and issues with my family and my friends. I gave him (Saeed) a lot of money from my savings.‘My family believed I had been reckless with my money. I couldn’t tell them the truth. I was feeling suicidal.‘This has brought shame on me because of my cultural background. This is a sin in my religion. This still impacts me.’Mr Allman told the court how Saeed targeted another victim by posing as a female and exchanging intimate images and videos, blackmailing him for £800.‘Some months later, posing as Mr Ghost. He then threatened to expose him if he didn’t do what he wanted him to do, including running outside naked and recording himself,' Mr Allman said.The victim told of the shame brought on to his family by the incident, describing it as 'mental torment'.He added: ‘I am scared that when he is let out of prison, he will do this again. I don’t want him to harm anyone else in the way he harassed me.‘I was really scared for my life. I thought for a long time he was going to find out where I live and find me.’Saeed also blackmailed a teenage university student living in halls of residence after exchanging images with him.‘Saeed threatens to expose him to everyone that he knows unless he talks to him and becomes his "bitch",’ Mr Allman added. ‘Luckily, he had the courage to go to the police.’In a statement, the victim said he feared his family would find out as he came from a 'strict culture'.‘I was experiencing suicidal thoughts. It was overwhelming. It was the thought he was going to tell everyone,' he added.‘I couldn’t see a way out apart from suicide. I couldn’t live with myself.’On March 25, 2025, Saeed was charged with a further nine counts in relation to four additional victims.On March 2, 2026, he pleaded guilty to charges relating to four victims, the Met said.These charges included two counts of threatening to share a photograph or film of a person in an intimate state; two counts of blackmail; two counts of making indecent photographs or a child; intimidation; distributing an indecent image of a child; and disclosing or threatening to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.The Met said a jury found him guilty of further charges relating to a fifth victim on March 12: four counts of rape of a man aged 16 or over; attempting to rape a man aged 16 or over; causing a male to engage in penetrative sexual activity; threatening to share a photograph or film of a person in an intimate state; and blackmail.Judge Timothy Greene said Saeed has been using this ‘modus operandi for years’ and told him: ‘Your victims were all young men of similar age.‘You took advantage of cultural issues that made them vulnerable to exposure to family, friends, or the wider community with nude images.‘Your victims had been lured into believing you were someone they might find attractive. They were tricked into sending images of themselves.‘You’re an intelligent, well-educated man and you used your knowledge of social media and intelligence to lure victims, and clearly you enjoyed your power over them.’Judge Greene added: ‘You were adept at twisting the psychological screw.’He said one victim ‘felt he would rather be destitute than have his family be shown the images’.Saeed, of Azalea Close, Ilford, showed no emotion as he was jailed for 16 years.Meanwhile, detectives believe there may be many more victims of Saeed’s vile behaviour dating back at least eight years and have urged them to come forward.Detective Collington, who led the Met’s investigation, said: ‘The pattern of offending we have uncovered is deeply disturbing and shows a level of deliberate manipulation and cruelty that has caused immense harm to innocent men, with two of them being just 15 and 17 at the time.‘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.‘As part of our investigation, we’ve wrapped dedicated support around those who have already come forward.‘Following his sentence, I am making a direct appeal to other victim-survivors who may not have had the confidence to come forward, to please contact us.‘We want to be absolutely clear that no one should ever have their sexuality exploited or weaponised against them in this way.‘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.’Saeed would use multiple usernames and profiles on Snapchat, with names such as ‘Trans Girl Leah’ or ‘amzyyyy09.’Anyone with information is asked to contact the force on 101 quoting 5335/18JUNE2026.