Indian computer science student jailed after secretly recording himself sexually abusing young girl

Ratnakar Singh, who is from India, was studying at Teesside University and living in Middlesbrough when he committed his horrifying crimes.

Police began investigating Singh after a concerned parent contacted them to say her 13-year-old daughter had received sexual communications from someone she believed to be an adult.

Investigations led police to 25-year-old Singh’s student accommodation in Middlesbrough.

After seizing two mobile phones and a laptop, police uncovered 1,914 child sexual abuse videos and images on his mobile phones, over 900 of which were of the most serious category A.

His laptop contained a further 285 images of children being sexually abused, with 84 of the most serious category A.

Further investigations uncovered the true scale of Singh’s offending, after they found images and videos of him sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in a hotel room in August 2024 and arrangements for him to travel to London to commit the offences.

Police also discovered Singh had a sustained period of online grooming, where he pretended to be a teenager and regularly lied about his age.

Officers managed to locate, safeguard and obtain evidence from six different victims.

Singh admitted five counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, three counts of inciting a child into sexual activity, two counts of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, penetrative sexual activity with a child, arranging the commission of a child sexual offence, causing or inciting a child under 13 into sexual activity and six counts of possession of indecent images of children.

He was jailed for 13 years and nine months.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Dave Riley of Cleveland Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team said: “Singh subjected his victims to coercion and threats in order to fulfil his own sexual desires. He made secretive recordings of young victims without their knowledge and lied throughout his grooming campaign about his own age.

“These vulnerable children have exhibited immense bravery throughout the course of this investigation, providing the evidence and information needed to ensure that Singh was brought to justice.

“Cleveland Police has worked in closely with colleagues at South Yorkshire Police, Nottinghamshire Police, Sussex Police and The Metropolitan Police Service to ensure that the brave victims will benefit from ongoing safeguarding.

“Singh attempted to conceal his criminal activity online, using his knowledge as a master’s degree student in computer sciences.

“Throughout this investigation, Ratnakar Singh has shown no accountability for his despicable actions, and no concern for the impact his offending has had on his victims.

“His crimes are abhorrent, and I am pleased that he has received a substantial custodial sentence, ensuring that the courage of the victims in this case is rewarded with the comfort of knowing Singh is behind bars.”