A man from Stoke-on-Trent who exploited vulnerable children for sexual gain has been jailed.

Sajid Najeeb, 37, of Burslem, was sentenced to three years in prison at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Thursday (29 August) after previously admitting three counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child and three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child.

Between March 2023 and April 2024, Najeeb had been messaging multiple survivors on social media through his mobile phone. He would repeatedly ask the girls to meet him, engage in sexual activity and send explicit videos of themselves over the phone to him.

Najeeb was arrested at his home on 29 April 2024. He told officers he didn't have a mobile phone when they asked for it.

Najeeb was arrested at his home on 29 April 2024 (Staffordshire Police).

Officers found out the number of the phone, rang it, and heard it going off in his bedroom. It was then found hidden under his mattress and seized.

Officers from the child exploitation team (CET) worked tirelessly to identify the survivors who had been contacted by Najeeb after reviewing the evidence on his phone.

They were all visited and spoken to as part of the investigation. Specially-trained officers are continuing to support them alongside partner agencies.

Police secured the evidence needed to charge Najeeb for the six offences, sending him to court and securing the conviction.

Detective Constable Kate Callaghan, from CET, said: "This result has been achieved as part of proactive efforts to identify vulnerability and to act robustly against those seeking to exploit children across Staffordshire.

"Najeeb was persistent in his attempts to exploit the survivors in this case. I'm happy that we were able to secure the evidence needed to send him to prison and to protect those he was harming."

------------

READ MORE: Plans for new drive-thru coffee shop in Stoke-on-Trent refused

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter email HERE - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.