DEWAN GAZI PREDATOR CAUGHT IN BLACKLEY: SHOCKING CHILD SEX OFFENSES IN MANCHESTER

In October 2019, a disturbing case of child exploitation and sexual predation unfolded in Manchester, with the perpetrator, Dewan Gazi, a 22-year-old man from Blackley near Middleton, being sentenced to a lengthy prison term for his heinous crimes.

Gazi's criminal activities involved the use of a controversial social media application known as Yubo, which has been dubbed the 'Tinder for teens' due to its location-based features that facilitate connections among young users. Over a span of just 12 days, Gazi engaged in messaging with approximately 95 teenagers on this platform, falsely claiming to be 17 years old in order to lure vulnerable minors into conversations and, ultimately, into sexual encounters.

The Manchester Crown Court heard harrowing details of Gazi's misconduct, including his sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl and his sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. The 15-year-old victim discovered that Gazi had taken explicit photographs and videos of her during their encounters, which he then shared with friends via social media, adding a layer of humiliation and trauma to her ordeal.

One of the most disturbing incidents involved Gazi raping a 12-year-old girl after they had been communicating through Snapchat. The girl's mother, alarmed by her daughter's behavior, entered her bedroom to find her dancing scantily clad, with her phone propped up in front of her, apparently recording herself. The mother then called the police, initiating an investigation that uncovered Gazi's predatory actions.

The court was told that the 12-year-old girl had previously disclosed her age and innocence to Gazi, who responded with a chilling remark: 'Age is just a number. I’ve done stuff with a 13-year-old girl. What’s the oldest person you’ve ever done stuff with?' The girl later described feeling a profound sense of betrayal, anxiety, and loss of confidence, stating in her police statement, 'I’m not going to school and have lost my confidence. I keep telling people that I am fine but I am not. When I go outside I feel anxious, feel scared and started to breathe fast. I now talk to myself in my head and I feel I am the only person who understands me.' She expressed feelings of shame and helplessness, lamenting her inability to stop the abuse and her sense of being weak and betrayed.

Similarly, the 15-year-old victim recounted her distress, revealing that Gazi had taken explicit images and videos of her, which he shared with friends. She expressed feelings of guilt, believing she was at fault for the situation, and described how her experiences had led to increased arguments with teachers and ongoing counseling. She also shared that encounters with fast-moving vehicles trigger memories of Gazi, causing her to tense up and feel anxious.

Gazi's arrest came on June 14, after police uncovered that he had been communicating with 95 girls between June 2 and June 13, with activity prior to that period having been deleted from his phone. During police interviews, Gazi chose not to comment on the allegations.

Prosecutor Charlotte Crangle detailed the extent of Gazi's misconduct, including his grooming of the victims, his repeated meetings with the girls at various locations, and the sexual acts that ensued. She described how Gazi met the 12-year-old girl near a primary school and engaged in inappropriate physical contact, including squeezing her buttocks and making suggestive comments. The girl felt uncomfortable but was persuaded to continue the interaction.

Regarding the 15-year-old, the prosecutor explained that Gazi had picked her up in his car near her home, instructed her to lie about her age, and engaged in multiple sexual encounters over the course of a night, during which he also took photographs and videos of her. The girl was initially unaware of Gazi's true age, only discovering he was 22 after their first sexual encounter. She expressed anger and regret about her involvement.

Gazi was charged with multiple serious offenses, including rape, sexual communication with a child, meeting a child after grooming, sexual assault, and distribution of indecent images. The police investigation revealed that Gazi's phone had been used to chat with 95 girls within a short period, with earlier activity erased from his device.

In mitigation, defense counsel Michael Goldwater described Gazi as an immature individual, comparable in maturity to an 18 or 19-year-old, and emphasized his lack of intelligence, citing his sister's comments. Goldwater acknowledged Gazi's difficulty in understanding his behavior and expressed remorse.

Judge Michael Leeming sentenced Gazi to 12 years in prison, with an additional ten-year ban from working with children and an order to register as a sex offender indefinitely. The judge emphasized the significant age gap between Gazi and his victims—ten and seven years respectively—and highlighted the high risk of further offending and potential harm. He condemned Gazi's actions as very serious and morally wrong, stating, 'You present a high risk of further sexual offending and pose a high risk of causing serious harm. You deny being sexually attracted to children but I cannot and do not accept that. Your actions were very wrong and serious and you must pay the price. You have no one to blame but yourself.'

Yubo, the app involved in this case, has previously been associated with similar incidents, including a notable case in Indiana where a 26-year-old man was caught engaging in sexual activity with a minor in a car outside a church. Authorities have issued warnings to parents about the dangers of the app, urging them to remove it from their children's devices to prevent similar tragedies. The app's features, which allow users to connect based on location, have made it a tool exploited by predators seeking vulnerable minors, raising ongoing concerns about online safety and child protection in Manchester and beyond.