Saner Muharrem

Saner Muharrem, a 25-year-old resident of East London, was sentenced to five and a half years' imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 12 January 2024, following his conviction on 11 counts of child sexual offences. The investigation began on 20 October 2021 after intelligence revealed that Muharrem was uploading indecent images of children online. Police executed a search warrant at his home on Homer Drive, E14, seizing his mobile phone, which specialist officers analysed extensively.

The analysis uncovered thousands of inappropriate messages sent to underage girls via social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. Muharrem befriended these girls, pretending to care for them, and offered money, alcohol, and cannabis to persuade them to send indecent images. He manipulated and threatened the victims, warning he would leak the images if they did not comply. Over 500 indecent images of children were found on his personal devices.

Despite a Sexual Risk Order (SRO) imposed by Thames Magistrates’ Court on 23 November 2022, Muharrem continued his predatory actions. He attempted to obtain more indecent images from girls under 16 and tried to arrange meetings with several young girls. In one incident, he met a 13-year-old girl and kissed her without consent.

The two-week trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court concluded on 21 September 2023 with Muharrem found guilty of offences including inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual activity with a child. In addition to his custodial sentence, he received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and restraining orders to protect potential future victims.

PC Simon Marchant-Brown, the lead investigator from the Metropolitan Police, commented: “Muharrem would befriend the girls on social media and act like he cared for them. He offered to give them money, alcohol and cannabis in order to convince them to send indecent images of themselves. Today’s sentencing reflects the severity of his offences. He manipulated young girls and would even threaten to leak the images if they did not send more.” He praised the seven young victims who provided evidence, noting their bravery was crucial in securing the conviction. The case was handled by the Metropolitan Police, based on the location in East London.