"he deliberately took advantage of a child by abusing his position"
A Luton teacher, Syed Raza, aged 46, from Luton has been jailed for 14 months after sending sexual texts and graphic messages to a pupil. He was caught by the boy’s mother.
Raza a teacher at a Dunstable school targeted the boy by first buying him gifts and then grooming him to send him sexual communications.
The mother of the boy came across a phone in possession of her son. When she quizzed him where he got it from, the boy told her it was a gift from Mr Raza.
Upon browsing the phone, the mother then discovered a series of explicit and sexual messages on the phone sent to her son from Raza.
The distressed and alarmed mother then immediately contacted the police.
Raza was arrested and charged by Bedfordshire police in December 2017. He pleaded guilty to sending sexual communications to a child in November 2018 at Luton Crown Crown Court.
At his hearing on January 4, 2018, Raza was sentenced to prison for his sexual offences and in addition, he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years which includes specific conditions Raza has to follow after his release.
A number of explicit messages were found on the phone from Raza and the police were immediately alerted.
The investigating constable on the case, Zac Kozlowski, said after the sentencing:
“I am pleased that Raza received a custodial sentence after pleading guilty to this offence as he deliberately took advantage of a child by abusing his position of trust as a teacher by buying him gifts.
“I hope that this sentence will serve as a warning to other predators who think this type of behaviour is acceptable.
“Many children and young people don’t understand that they have been the victim of grooming or that it is abuse. Luckily, in this case, the victim’s mother discovered what was happening before it could escalate in something more sinister.
“Any child can become the victim of grooming, no matter what their sex, ethnicity or background.”
“If you think that this might be happening to you or someone you know then it’s important you speak out and tell someone you trust.”
“I hope that this sentence will serve as a warning to other predators who think this type of behaviour is acceptable.”
A spokesperson talking about the case and child grooming said:
“The signs of grooming aren’t always obvious and groomers will often go to great lengths not to be identified.”
Adding that if a child is being groomed the child may:
- be very secretive, including about what they are doing online
- have older boyfriends or girlfriends
- go to unusual places to meet friends
- have new things such as clothes or mobile phones that they can’t or won’t explain
- have access to drugs and alcohol
If you have any concerns about the possible sexual abuse of children, please call police immediately on 101, or dial 999 if someone is at immediate risk of harm.
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