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A 20-year-old drug dealer has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison after admitting to exploiting a 14-year-old boy to distribute drugs—marking one of the earliest convictions of this nature in Scotland. Matteullah Siddiqi met the teenage boy at a games arcade in Glasgow city centre last year and subsequently manipulated him into selling drugs on his behalf.
The teenager was compelled to skip school regularly and spend time in drug dens. His situation only came to light when his teachers grew concerned and the boy confessed to his involvement. During sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow, the judge highlighted the distress caused to the young victim and his family, noting that the boy had described the experience as “mentally traumatic and distressing for his family.”
In a statement to the court, the teenager expressed his feelings of betrayal, saying, “I feel betrayed by an adult who I trusted, but who lured me into trouble.” Lord Scott, who presided over the case, told Siddiqi, “What you did has damaged his confidence and his ability to trust and feel free.” After serving his sentence, Siddiqi will remain on licence for two years. Despite Siddiqi himself being assessed as a victim of child trafficking and exploitation related to drug supply in 2023, the judge criticized him for showing “limited victim empathy,” adding, “You focus on yourself as a victim rather than the child you recruited.”
This case is considered pioneering in that it involves a child being exploited specifically to deal Class A drugs for financial gain, an offense addressed under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act. Previously, several offenders have been convicted under this legislation, but cases of children used in this manner are rare. The situation was featured in the recent BBC Disclosure documentary titled *Welcome to Glasgow*. The boy’s mother was reported to be “distraught” upon learning the truth about her son’s exploitation. The boy was referred to the Home Office’s National Referral Mechanism, which confirmed that he had been a “victim of exploitation” and ensured he would receive support as part of the modern slavery framework.
Siddiqi was apprehended by police in Glasgow’s Castlemilk area on 19 September while holding two phones and acting nervously. He attempted to flee but was arrested after a physical struggle during which a police officer sustained serious shoulder ligament damage. During the confrontation, nearly £3,000 worth of heroin fell from Siddiqi’s jacket and was recovered by police. Siddiqi claimed that he himself had also been “exploited.” In court, he admitted to being involved in the supply of heroin and cocaine and to the aggravated assault on the officer. Although prosecutors accepted a not guilty plea in respect to allegations of coercing another teenage boy into selling drugs, the case drew attention to the complex dynamics of exploitation and offending. Siddiqi’s defense lawyer, Callum Hiller, stated: “He was the victim of child exploitation and trafficking—one of the offences he finds himself now the perpetrator of. He has progressed to becoming the offender. He has expressed to me that he feels extremely sorry.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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