British court jails Indian student for sexually exploiting 70 girls online

A British court has sentenced Bilal Kazi, a 27-year-old Indian national and former PhD student, to 30 years in prison for grooming at least 70 girls and manipulating them into sending sexually explicit videos and images of themselves.

The sentence was handed down at Chester Crown Court on Friday, November 13, 2026, following his guilty pleas to 37 charges, ValidViewNetwork reports .

THE SENTENCE

Kazi must serve a minimum of 20 years before being eligible for parole. He will remain on the sex offenders register for life and will be on licence for eight years once released.

He pleaded guilty to 37 offences, including making indecent images, blackmail and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. Two further charges were left to lie on file .

THE METHOD

Kazi, originally from Mumbai, was studying for a chemistry PhD at the University of Chester and later pursued a master’s in chemical engineering at the University of Birmingham.

Between August 2021 and August 2025, he targeted victims aged between 10 and 17 using Snapchat, Wink and Roblox .

He posed as a 14-year-old white British teenage boy, using the name “Reece” and a false photograph of a blond-haired boy he found online, and convinced his victims that they were in a relationship with him.

He would then demand progressively more intimate content. When victims hesitated, he told them it was “what people do when they love each other”.

When they refused, he threatened to leak the images they had already sent, or that he had covertly recorded on Snapchat, to their friends and family. In some cases, he hacked into victims’ social media accounts, shared the content with their friends, and published the images publicly .

THE VICTIMS

One victim, who was 13 when Kazi first contacted her, attempted suicide after he carried out his threat, circulating an explicit video that was seen by nearly 100 of her friends.

The court heard that some victims had attempted suicide, struggled with anxiety and developed eating disorders.

“The harm caused is not limited to the time events took place, they continue to affect my daily life,” one victim said in a personal impact statement read to the court.

Another, who was also 13 when Kazi first contacted her, said he had taken her “innocence away.” “I hope one day I can get on with my life,” she said.

THE INVESTIGATION

The investigation began in December 2021, after a victim came forward to Derbyshire Police. The case was passed to Cheshire Constabulary in May 2022, which identified 180 possible victims in its initial inquiry .

The nationwide operation involved 28 police forces, from Scotland to Cornwall. Detectives eventually traced 71 victims, though they suspect the true number may be as high as 180, making it one of the worst cases of its kind in the UK.

Kazi had left Chester and the university but was arrested at Heathrow Airport on 21 July 2023 as he re-entered the country. He was subsequently charged with 39 offences and pleaded guilty in July 2026 to 37 of them .

West Midlands Police have also charged him with eight further offences committed while he was on police bail for the Cheshire investigation.

Those offences were considered as part of his overall sentence .

THE JUDGE’S REMARKS

Judge Steven Everett, the Honorary Recorder of Chester, said Kazi had targeted “children who believed they were safe in their own homes.” “He’s taken away their childhoods,” the judge said.

He said 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 like you” .

WHY IT MATTERS

This case is a study in how the internet has made predatory behaviour both easier and more devastating.

Kazi did not have to leave his room to reach 71 victims. He did not have to use force, or threats of physical violence.

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He used a false photograph, a fake name, and the trust that children place in someone they believe to be their boyfriend.

The platforms were designed for children. Snapchat, Roblox, Wink. Kazi used them as hunting grounds.

The 30-year sentence is severe. It is meant to be. But the victims will carry the consequences for the rest of their lives.

One 13-year-old tried to kill herself after he leaked her video to nearly 100 of her friends. Others developed eating disorders.

Others are still trying to “get on with” their lives. The judge said Kazi took away their childhoods. He did. And no sentence can give them back. ValidViewNetwork reports.