Former supply teacher jailed for taking upskirt photos of pupils
A former supply teacher from Salford, Greater Manchester, has been jailed for six years after admitting taking upskirting photos of pupils.
Abusali Rahman, 37, secretly took upskirting images of teenagers while working in seven schools. He would use his iPhone to take the photos, including following behind girls walking upstairs to film them. As well as this, he would trace the pupils’ social media profiles to “nudify” their images (using AI to make non-nude images into naked images) alongside pornography.
What is upskirting?
Upskirting is the use of equipment to look beneath another person’s clothing or the recording of an image beneath their clothing without their consent or without reasonable belief that they have consented, where the conduct is carried out for the purpose of sexual gratification or humiliating, alarming or distressing the victim. It is an offence under the Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019, amending section 67A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
How the upskirting offences were discovered?
Rahman was caught when the mother of one girl came across a picture of her daughter in her school uniform next to graphic sexual images while scrolling on social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). He also superimposed one girl’s face onto a woman in a bikini and another in a PVC suit.
He pleaded guilty to 12 counts of taking indecent photographs/ pseudo-photographs of a child, obtained by upskirting. He also admitted four counts of publishing an obscene article, three counts of making indecent photographs/ pseudo-photographs of a child using AI-generated images, one count of distributing an indecent image of a child and one count of operating equipment beneath clothing to take images of another without consent.
His crimes took place over a near two-year period between December 2023 and June 2025 against 15 girls, all aged between 13-16, at several schools in the Greater Manchester area, including Bury, Bolton and Salford.
The impact of upskirting on survivors
Survivors of his abuse have said they felt “embarrassed”, “disgusted” and “upset”.
The prevalence of mobile phones with cameras, as well as newer technology such as Meta smart glasses, have resulted in an increasing number of offences of this nature.. These types of crimes can erode bodily autonomy at the most private level and can have a long-lasting impact on survivors. This is especially the case when the perpetrator is a person in a position of trust, as Rahman was as a supply teacher in the various schools where he worked.
Support for survivors of image-base abuse
At Bolt Burdon Kemp, our Sexual Abuse team is committed to supporting survivors of abuse with sensitivity, compassion and without judgment. We understand how difficult it can be to come forward, whether the abuse happened recently or many years ago, but you do not have to face it alone.
If you experienced abuse by Abusali Rahman or have been subjected to upskirting or sexualised image manipulation by anyone else, you may still be able to pursue a civil compensation claim. If you would like to explore your legal options in a safe and confidential environment, you can contact me using the details below.
