Predator pretending to be a YouTuber has been arrested for sexually abusing hundreds

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A teenage YouTube rapist who tricked hundreds of girls around the world into performing sex acts on camera has been jailed for 17 years in Australia.

Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed pleaded guilty to 119 charges, involving 286 people from 20 countries, including the UK, US, Japan and France. Two-thirds of his victims were under the age of 16.

Perth Crown Court heard the 29-year-old forced them into a cycle of extreme abuse by threatening to send messages and pictures of them to loved ones.

Australian authorities say it is “one of the worst sexual assault cases” in history.

“The man’s disregard for his victims around the world and their distress, shame and fear make it one of the most shocking sexual assault cases prosecuted in Australia,” Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner David McLean said.

“This type of cyberbullying and harassment is extremely damaging and causes lifelong trauma.”

When handing down his sentence on Tuesday, Judge Amanda Burrows said Rasheed’s case was so serious that there was no comparable case in the country, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Posing as a 15-year-old American internet star, Rasheed would strike up a conversation with his targets, before engaging them in conversations about sexual thoughts.

He threatened to send their answers to friends and family unless they engaged in a series of escalating, “degrading” sexual acts – sometimes involving the family’s pets and other children in their home.

The court heard that Rasheed had been involved in “dirty” online communities, and on several occasions invited other people – in one case as many as 98 – to watch oppressive acts on live radio.

Many children who were bullied told her they wanted to kill themselves – one even sent pictures of themselves. But Rasheed continued to accuse him despite “obvious concern” and “tremendous fear”, the judge said, according to ABC.

He was caught after Australian authorities were contacted by Interpol and American investigators, and was charged in 2020 after police raided his home.

Rasheed is serving five years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old twice in his car in a Perth park.

The court heard he was in a treatment program for sex offenders but Rasheed still represented a high risk of re-offending. He will be eligible to apply for parole in August 2033.