Indian student jailed 30 years for grooming over 70 girls online

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 21:57 · Archive

Bilal Kazi, 27, posed as a teenage boy to groom more than 70 girls into sending explicit images, threatening blackmail when they refused.

Bilal Kazi, 27, an Indian student at the University of Chester who had overstayed his visa, has been jailed for 30 years at Chester Crown Court for grooming and sexually exploiting more than 70 young girls online over a four-year period from August 2021 to August 2025.

Kazi posed as a 14-year-old blond-haired white boy named 'Reece' on Snapchat, Snapchat, Wink, Wizz and while playing Roblox. He targeted girls aged between 10 and 17, manipulating them into believing they were in genuine relationships with him. He pressured victims to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves, sometimes even while they were at school.

When girls refused his demands, Kazi employed blackmail, threatening to share the explicit images they had already sent with their friends and family. In some cases, he hacked victims' social media accounts and published images online. Victims then sent additional material out of fear. He told one girl that sending explicit material was 'what people do when they love each other'.

Kazi admitted to 33 child sex offences relating to 19 identified victims, including causing a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity, making indecent images of children and six counts of blackmail. However, police have stated he could have as many as 180 potential victims who have not yet been identified.

At least twice, Kazi leaked explicit images online, leaving the young victims suicidal. One 13-year-old victim attempted suicide after he shared an explicit video which was seen by almost 100 of her friends. Another girl said her 'whole world fell apart' when friends logged into her account and saw the video she had sent.

Victims suffered severe psychological damage. The court heard many felt 'broken', their innocence taken and teenage years ruined. Some developed eating disorders and struggled with anxiety. One victim stated Kazi had taken her 'innocence away', whilst another said he had taken away her 'sense of privacy and security', adding the harm 'continues to affect my daily life'.

Judge Steven Everett, Recorder of Chester, described Kazi as a sexual predator and a 'very dangerous person', noting he had targeted 'children who believed they were safe in their own homes'. The judge also remarked that Kazi had taken advantage of 'a lack of proper security on social media sites which should have been there to prevent young persons from being taken advantage of by sexual predators'. Kazi must serve at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

How it is being reported

• Indian student who posed as teenage schoolboy to trick 70 girls into sending naked photos jailed for 30 yearsAn Indian student who posed as a teenage schoolboy to trick 70 girls into sending him naked photos has been jailed for 30 years. Bilal Kazi, 27, had overstayed his visa when he preyed on vulnerable teens while pretending to be a white, blond schoolboy called Reece. The child sex offender acted as their online boyfriend, acting as if they were in a genuine relationship, demanding they send him explicit material of themselves via apps like Snapchat, Chester Crown Court heard. He admitted to 33 child sex offences relating to 19 victims, including causing a child to engage in penetrative sexual…GB News · 14 Nov, 21:35
• Man groomed at least 70 UK girls and blackmailed them to send explicit imagesBilal Kazi, 27, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.Daily Express · 14 Nov, 04:49
• Paedo jailed for 30 years over 'incomprehensible' crimes while posing as childBilal Kazi, 27, posed as a 14-year-old boy called 'Reece' to manipulate more than 70 young girls into sending him sexually explicit videos and images of themselvesThe Mirror · 13 Nov, 19:14
• Online child sex groomer jailed for 30 yearsBilal Kazi, 27, targeted girls on apps including Snapchat, Wizz and Wink, and while playing Roblox.Evening Standard · 13 Nov, 19:14
• Indian student who posed as teenage boy on Snapchat to trick over 70 girls into sending explicit images of themselves jailed for 30 yearsBilal Kazi, 27, who had overstayed his student visa, preyed on girls as young as 11 by pretending to be a blond, white boy called 'Reece' on Snapchat and other apps popular with children.Daily Mail · 13 Nov, 17:05

In this story: Bilal Kazi · University of Chester · Chester Crown Court · Judge Steven Everett · India · United Kingdom

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log