British teacher jailed for sexually abusing children under ten in UAE

A British teacher has been jailed for “grooming and sexually abusing” two children under the age of ten in the UAE, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) said earlier this week. 

Paul Shinn from London worked at an English school in the Gulf state from 2004 until 2019, when he was sacked following allegations that he had sexually assaulted children.

The 49-year-old groomed the two children and abused them on multiple occasions, taking indecent photographs and forcing them to watch pornography. 

He has been convicted of five counts of child sexual assault and was sentenced on Tuesday in the UK to a total of 10 years in prison, plus two years on licence.  

“The investigation showed that Shinn had begun grooming two children from the ages of eight and nine, gaining their trust and encouraging them to spend time with him through the offer of gifts and trips,” the NCA said in a statement. 

A teacher from London has been jailed for grooming and sexually abusing two children in the Middle East over an eight-year period.

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— National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) April 12, 2022

Shinn was convicted under section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act, which allows British nationals to be prosecuted in the UK for abuse overseas. He was charged with six counts of child sexual abuse in total, but the jury at Kingston Crown Court was unable to reach a decision on the sixth charge. 

“Shinn positioned himself as a caring and trustworthy teacher in order to befriend children and their families. He then abused their trust in the most horrific way,” said the NCA's Ian Truby.

“Shinn thought that he could run away from his crimes by returning to the UK. However, the NCA works closely with international partners to ensure British nationals who commit offences against victims overseas are brought to justice.”

The UK and UAE have strengthened cooperation when it comes to law enforcement and intelligence gathering over the past year.

In 2021, despite multiple reports of unfair trials and arbitrary detention in the Gulf state, the two nations signed a “partnership” deal intended to bolster efforts to tackle “serious and organised” crime.