A Bradford man who used social media to target children has been jailed for six years after admitting a series of child sex offences.
Rehan Ali, 24, of Falsgrave Avenue, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on Monday, 10 August, following offences committed between October and November 2024.
Ali admitted two counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, making an indecent photograph of a child, attempting to incite a girl aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
West Yorkshire Police said Ali used Snapchat to befriend two girls who were aged just seven and eight.
He subsequently contacted another profile on Facebook which he believed belonged to a 13-year-old girl.
Communication then moved to WhatsApp, where Ali engaged in sexual conversations and made attempts to incite the person he believed was a child into sexual activity.
However, the account did not belong to a 13-year-old girl and was instead a decoy profile being operated as part of an operation by an online child abuse group.
Ali admitted the offences and appeared at Bradford Crown Court for sentencing.
He was sentenced to six years in prison.
The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered Ali to sign the sex offenders register.
PC William Metcalfe, of Bradford’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, welcomed the sentence and said Ali had used social media to target children.
“Ali used social media to target and exploit children,” he said.
“He deliberately contacted underage girls online for his own sexual gratification.”
Metcalfe said West Yorkshire Police remained committed to protecting children and encouraged parents and young people to contact police if they encounter concerning activity online.
“As a police force, we remain committed to safeguarding children and would encourage parents and young people to report any concerns about suspicious online content to us,” he said.