Tutor jailed for making thousands of pounds by charging students to do their university exams

A delivery driver has been jailed for three years after making more than £300,000 by helping university students cheat in their exams.

Shahid Adnan committed a "large-scale fraud" by doing student's coursework and online exams in exchange for money - buying expensive cars and furniture with the cash.

The 42-year-old from Liverpool, who worked as a personal tutor, would log into their university accounts to complete his clients' work.

Adnan owned two cars, an Audi and a BMW, while his home had expensive furnishings and white goods, The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Bundles of notes were also found during searches of Adnan's home.

The defendant was caught when accessing the network at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) to complete and submit work on behalf of students.

At Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, Adnan was sentenced after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation, money laundering and a hacking offence.

A total of £2.4m was discovered in his PayPal and bank accounts, even though his "declared employment" was as an Amazon delivery driver and tutor for his own company, called Study Sharp Ltd.

When questioned by Merseyside Police, he admitted sitting an exam for a student and being paid £250, but claimed he was "not aware" of needing permission to access the university's network.

Police said Adnan had received payments from students at LJMU, but it is believed Adnan may have been doing work for 124 students at universities all over the world.

After a forensic examination of this finances, investigators determined he earned at least £300,000 illegally.

Detective Sergeant Adam Dagnall from Merseyside Police said: "We hope this serves as a strong deterrent to those who would look to commit large-scale fraud, and those students who think they can cheat their way to an undeserved future."

Police said their investigation began in March 2023 when a computer forensics student at LJMU submitted a pen drive of documents for assessment.

Their lecturer alerted police after discovering evidence left by the previous owner, Adnan, which included students' personal login credentials, coursework submission dates and financial information.

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Det Sgt Dagnall added: "Our enquiries confirmed that Adnan was able to log into student accounts and complete assessments for them, with evidence found of payments to him from students, and of Adnan living a lifestyle well beyond his declared wealth."

"Cheating at academic institutions is a serious matter, which if left unchallenged can result in students gaining qualifications and moving into careers without having the necessary skills and abilities. The risks of that to society are clear to see," Det Sgt Dagnall said.

Adnan 'lived a lavish lifestyle'

Senior crown prosecutor Andrew Madden from CPS Mersey-Cheshire said: "He [Adnan] created complex audit trails with his bank accounts to try and avoid detection and lived a lavish lifestyle to use up the money he made and avoid having to pay it back.

"He is a fraudster who wanted more than his declared employment could give him, so he turned to crime and tried to outwit the authorities."

A spokesperson for LJMU said after the sentencing hearing: "We are pleased that the diligence of our staff and the safeguards we have in place identified this serious issue committed against a number of universities and supported the investigation by Merseyside Police.

"The university promotes and supports a culture of academic integrity and takes all forms of academic dishonesty very seriously. We expect all students to conduct themselves appropriately and in accordance with the ethical values of an academic community.

"We continually review the safeguards we have in place to ensure the academic integrity of our assessment processes."

Police said legal proceedings will begin to recover Adnan's assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

(c) Sky News 2026: Tutor jailed for making thousands of pounds by charging students to do their university exams