ABU SHALOM CAUGHT IN EDINBURGH PAEDOPHILE STING OUTSIDE LIDL STORE

In December 2020, a disturbing incident unfolded in Edinburgh involving a theology student who was caught attempting to meet an underage girl for sexual activity outside a Lidl supermarket in the Granton area. The individual, identified as Abu Shalom, had been engaged in online conversations with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl named Grace, with whom he had arranged to meet in person last November.

Shalom, aged 31 and a student at Edinburgh University’s School of Divinity, arrived at the Lidl store in Granton with the apparent intention of engaging in sexual acts with the girl. However, he was met instead by members of the group known as Maximum Exposure UK, who conduct covert operations aimed at catching online predators. The group live streamed the encounter to over 3,000 viewers on their Facebook page, providing a real-time account of the confrontation. They also handed over chat logs and other evidence to Police Scotland, which proved crucial in the subsequent legal proceedings.

Further investigations revealed that Shalom had been in contact with another online profile, that of a girl named Scarlett, who was only 14 years old. He had been exchanging sexually explicit messages with her after initially meeting her online. These communications included disturbing discussions about his sexual desires, such as feeling horny once a week, and explicit questions about her naked images. During these chats, he expressed a desire to touch her intimately and asked if she had ever seen naked images of men.

Both online profiles—Grace and Scarlett—were created by the Maximum Exposure UK group in March of the previous year as part of an undercover operation designed to identify and apprehend individuals seeking to engage in illegal sexual activities with minors. The operation aimed to protect vulnerable children from predators by luring them into traps and gathering evidence for law enforcement.

Shalom appeared before Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month, where he pleaded guilty to two charges related to his online activities and his attempt to meet the girl in person. The court was told that he had traveled from his residence on South Bridge, Edinburgh, with the intent to meet the 13-year-old girl for sex at West Granton Road on November 3, 2020. When he arrived at the supermarket, he was quickly confronted by members of the paedophile hunter group, and police officers were called to handle the situation.

During the court proceedings, Fiscal Depute Ross Price highlighted that Shalom was also in contact with Scarlett, the 14-year-old girl, and had sent her sexually explicit messages, including details about his sexual urges. The messages indicated that he sought to obtain sexual gratification through these online exchanges, which he carried out at his home address between October 22 and 31 of the previous year.

Defence lawyer Leslie Cunningham explained that Shalom was planning to return to India in March 2021, as his student visa was set to expire. She indicated that he would consider extending his stay if he was placed on a community disposal order. Ms Cunningham also mentioned that Shalom has two young children in India and expressed his desire to work as a minister in Edinburgh, though his criminal conviction would pose significant obstacles to pursuing this career.

Ultimately, Sheriff Peter McCormack sentenced Shalom to a community order, which requires him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. The sheriff also placed him on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years. The judge remarked that Shalom was fortunate to avoid a custodial sentence “by the skin of his teeth,” emphasizing the seriousness of his actions and the potential harm caused to minors involved in such online predatory behavior.