A 15-year-old rape victim’s decision to tell her school about her attacker triggered a same-day arrest that exposed a prolific predator operating under multiple aliases who had been simultaneously grooming and sexually exploiting children across social media.
Gurpreet Randhawa, 21, of Wellington Road, Wolverhampton, was jailed for 18 years at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday 12 February after pleading guilty to four counts of rape, two counts of taking indecent images of a child, two counts of sharing indecent images and engaging in sexual communication with a child between July 2024 and September 2025.
When the victim informed her school about the attack, staff immediately alerted West Midlands Police. Officers quickly identified Randhawa, who went by the alias “Ziggy” among other false names, and arrested him the same day. The swift identification demonstrated how reporting through trusted institutions can rapidly bring perpetrators to justice.
Investigators then uncovered the full extent of Randhawa’s offending, revealing he had been simultaneously targeting multiple victims through different methods whilst using aliases to conceal his identity. He had persuaded two 15-year-old girls to meet him, raping one on three separate occasions between August and September last year.
During the final rape, Randhawa drove the victim to a Wolverhampton car park before attacking her in his vehicle. When she tried to resist, he grabbed her by the throat. He also smoked drugs with another 15-year-old victim before forcing himself upon her, filming the attack without her knowledge.
Separately, Randhawa had been using social media under additional aliases to contact a 12-year-old girl, engaging in sexualised conversations and sending inappropriate videos and pictures of himself. He threatened to harm the child if she did not send indecent images in return and encouraged her to persuade friends to do the same. He shared live footage of himself attacking the 15-year-old with the younger girl.
DC Mark Tallis from the public protection unit stated: “Randhawa targeted and exploited these young girls for his own sexual desires. He persuaded two of the girls to meet him and raped them. These were horrific experiences for the girls, as it was for the 12-year-old girl who was threatened if she did not reciprocate his appalling actions in sharing indecent images.”
The detective credited the victims’ courage as fundamental to securing the conviction. “It was through the courage of the girls in coming forward and telling us about these awful crimes we were able to convict Randhawa for his deplorable behaviour. Their bravery has taken a dangerous man off the streets and prevented others from being targeted,” Tallis stated.
West Midlands Police are urging anyone else who may have been targeted by Randhawa to come forward, with specialist staff available to listen and provide support. Officers believe additional victims may exist given the range of aliases used and the extended period of offending spanning more than a year.
Information about reporting child sexual exploitation and recognising signs of grooming is available through the West Midlands Police website. The force emphasized it will not tolerate such crimes and encouraged anyone with concerns to make contact through established reporting channels.
