Ashraful Islam will have to complete unpaid work and pay a fine, but will not go to prison for his crimes
A student caught with hundreds of images of child abuse, including hundreds of images categorised as the most serious, has avoided jail.
Ashraful Islam, 21, of Chippenham, Gloucestershire, admitted taking indecent images of children and voyeurism when he appeared in court on Friday, September 10.
He was given a 26-month custodial sentence suspended for three years, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was imposed for a period of 10 years, reports GloucestershireLive.
Islam was arrested in connection with an unrelated matter in March 2026.
His phone was seized, and as part of this, a significant number of child abuse images were located, including nearly 350 images classed as category A – depicting the most serious form of child abuse.
As well as this, images showing ‘upskirting’ of schoolgirls were also found on Islam’s phone.
In police footage of Islam’s arrest, when asked by a police officer if he needed to take anything to the police station, Islam replied, “I really need to put my uni work in, otherwise I fail.”
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Det Con Will Saunders of Wiltshire Police said: “Islam was found in possession of hundreds of images of child abuse. Each of these images represents a real victim who has suffered serious, life changing abuse and those who view, possess, or share such material are contributing to that harm.
“I’d like to thank the officers who worked on this case particularly the digital forensics unit whose hard work allowed us to uncover a true picture of his offending.”
As well as the custodial sentence and SHPO that has been granted, Islam must also pay a £228 surcharge and complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
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