Former supply teacher jailed over AI images and upskirting
The man admitted offences involving pupils at seven secondary schools in Greater Manchester.
A former supply teacher has been jailed for six years after admitting offences involving covert images of schoolgirls and sexualised AI-generated pictures. The sentence was handed down at Bolton Crown Court on Thursday.
Abusali R. was sentenced after pleading guilty to 21 offences, Greater Manchester Police said. They included taking indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children, making and publishing AI-generated sexualised images, distributing an indecent image and operating equipment beneath clothing without consent.
Police said the offending took place between December 2023 and June 2025. R. used a mobile phone while working in seven secondary schools across Bolton, Bury and Salford, according to the force.
Sky News, reporting from the sentencing, said the case involved 15 girls aged between 13 and 16. The report said R. had used photographs taken from pupils’ social-media profiles to create altered images and had also secretly photographed pupils without their knowledge.
The investigation began after a parent found an image of her daughter in school uniform on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside sexual material. Police then examined digital devices and identified further offences. The girls are not named and no details that could identify them are included here.
Detective Constable Lisa McGaffin said the case showed how criminals were using AI in ways that posed a difficult problem for law enforcement. The Crown Prosecution Service said R. had abused the position of trust attached to teaching and breached pupils’ expectations of safety at school.
In addition to the prison sentence, R. was made subject to a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. The order restricts future conduct and is designed to protect children, while the conviction means he is no longer treated as a suspect in these offences.
The case combines established offences involving covert photography with the use of image-generation tools. It does not by itself establish how common similar cases are, but it shows that schools, police and prosecutors may have to deal with both real and synthetic images in the same investigation.
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The central event, sentence and charges are supported by the police statement and an independent court report. Sensitive details about pupils have been limited to what is necessary and no minors are identified.
- confirmed The former supply teacher was sentenced to six years at Bolton Crown Court on 15 October 2026. — Confirmed by Greater Manchester Police. source
- confirmed He admitted 21 offences, including offences involving covert photography and AI-generated images. — The police release lists the charges and guilty pleas. source
- confirmed The offending took place between December 2023 and June 2025 at seven schools in Bolton, Bury and Salford. — Confirmed in the Greater Manchester Police release. source
- confirmed The case involved 15 girls aged between 13 and 16. — Reported from the sentencing by Sky News. source
- confirmed The defendant received a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. — Confirmed by Greater Manchester Police. source
Editor's note
The sentence, offences and locations are confirmed by Greater Manchester Police. The number and ages of the girls come from Sky News’ court report; the victims are not identified.Sources
More on this in other media
- Channel 4 News — „crime schools”
- BBC News — „crime schools”
- The Guardian — „crime schools”