A former supply teacher has been jailed for six years after secretly taking photographs up teenage girls’ skirts at schools across Greater Manchester and sharing the images on social media.
Abusali Rahman, 37, admitted 21 child sex offences linked to his conduct while working in schools across Bury, Bolton and Salford. He was also made subject to a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order at Bolton Crown Court.
The offences involved girls aged between 13 and 16 and took place over an 18-month period. Police said the pupils were targeted without their knowledge by someone working in a position of trust.
Social Media Post Alerted a Parent to the Abuse
Rahman’s offending came to light in March 2025 after a mother discovered an image of her daughter’s friend wearing her school uniform on an account on X, formerly Twitter.
The account had approximately 1,000 followers. The discovery prompted concerns that the images had been taken at a school, leading to police involvement and Rahman’s arrest.
Investigators subsequently traced the photographs to a supply teacher and examined his electronic devices as part of an investigation into upskirting, voyeurism and other child sex offences.
Greater Manchester Police said the images had been captured in classrooms and as pupils walked up flights of stairs. In some instances, Rahman followed girls to obtain the photographs.
Detectives described the conduct as brazen because it took place in ordinary school settings, where pupils and staff would not necessarily have suspected what was happening.
Police Identify Victims Across Seven High Schools
The investigation established that at least 15 girls aged between 13 and 16 had been targeted across seven high schools in Greater Manchester during the period under investigation.
The schools and parents of identified victims in Bury, Bolton and Salford have been informed. However, investigators have been unable to establish the identities of three girls connected to the case.
Police said none of the identified pupils would have known they were being photographed at the time.
Officers have left it to the girls’ parents to decide whether to tell them they were among those targeted, recognising the sensitive nature of the information and the potential impact on the children involved.
Detective Constable Lisa McGaffin of Greater Manchester Police said the girls had been exploited by someone they should have been able to trust.
She said the force was horrified by what had happened and noted that Rahman had become involved in offences involving indecent images of children soon after beginning his teaching career.
Mobile Phone Footage and Online Posts Exposed the Offending
Rahman, who is British-born and also holds Bangladeshi nationality, graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a teaching degree in July 2023.
He began working as a supply teacher in September that year, covering lessons at 25 schools before his arrest.
According to the prosecution case, he began secretly photographing pupils later that term, using a mobile phone concealed in his pocket to capture images beneath their clothing.
The photographs were then uploaded to his X account, exposing the material to an online audience.
Detective Inspector Dan Appleby of Greater Manchester Police described the offences as “brazen” and said they had been committed “in plain sight”.
The investigation showed how the combination of concealed recording equipment and online distribution enabled the offending to continue before a parent recognised one of the images and reported it.
Device Examination Reveals Hundreds of Indecent Images
An examination of Rahman’s devices uncovered hundreds of indecent images classified under the UK’s child sexual abuse image categories.
Police found 226 Category C images, 25 Category B images and 12 Category A images, the latter representing the most explicit category.
Rahman admitted a range of offences, including 12 counts of taking an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child, three counts of making such images, one count of distributing an indecent image of a child and four counts of publishing an obscene article.
He also admitted one count of operating equipment beneath another person’s clothing without consent, an offence commonly known as upskirting.
Some of the offences involved creating AI-generated images, raising further concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to produce sexualised material involving children.
AI-Generated Images Raise Additional Concerns
Greater Manchester Police described the use of artificial intelligence to create additional explicit images as particularly worrying.
Such technology can be used to manipulate photographs of fully clothed people into realistic-looking fake nude images. Children and teenagers can be targeted using pictures taken from social media or school settings.
The issue has become a growing concern for schools, families and law enforcement agencies, with experts warning that readily available AI tools can make the creation and circulation of fabricated sexual images easier.
Reports have also highlighted cases involving teenagers who created or shared explicit fake images of classmates.
Police have warned that gaps in legislation can complicate efforts to address certain forms of AI-generated abuse, particularly where the images do not depict an actual nude photograph.
The case has therefore renewed attention on the risks posed by both covert photography and the misuse of AI technology against children.
Rahman Broke Down During Police Interview
During police interviews, Rahman repeatedly responded “no comment” when detectives questioned him about the images found on his phone.
Footage released following his sentencing showed him becoming visibly emotional when an interviewing officer asked how he would feel if his own child had been targeted in the same way.
He began sobbing during the exchange.
Rahman has not provided detectives with an explanation for his actions. At an earlier hearing in May, his barrister, Emma Kehoe, said he had been experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the offences.
The explanation was presented by the defence; the court proceedings resulted in Rahman’s guilty pleas and sentence.
Six-Year Prison Term and 20-Year Prevention Order
The six-year custodial sentence reflects the seriousness of the offences involving schoolchildren and the breach of trust associated with Rahman’s role as a teacher.
The court also imposed a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order intended to restrict his conduct and help prevent further offending.
Greater Manchester Police said the case had involved a substantial investigation into the images, the schools where the offences took place and the identification of the children affected.
The force has urged the public to recognise the seriousness of offences involving the covert recording and distribution of sexual images of children, particularly when committed by someone entrusted with their care and education.
For the families affected, the investigation has also raised difficult questions about how the images were captured without their children’s knowledge and how schools and authorities can respond to emerging risks involving digital technology.
