Dealer given six years and nine months over exploitation of schoolboy
A man with links to Paisley has been jailed after a court found he exploited a 14-year-old boy to sell drugs in both Paisley and Glasgow. The High Court in Glasgow imposed a sentence of six years and nine months on 20‑year‑old Matteullah Siddiqi following one of the first convictions of its kind under Scotland’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act.
The teenager, who was initially contacted by Siddiqi at a games arcade in Glasgow’s St Enoch Square during the 2025 summer holidays, was compelled to miss school and to spend time in so‑called drug dens across Paisley and Glasgow, the court heard. He was removed from that situation only after teachers raised concerns and the boy disclosed what had happened.
- Defendant: Matteullah Siddiqi, aged 20
- Victim: 14‑year‑old schoolboy, groomed at St Enoch Square arcade
- Sentence: 6 years 9 months, plus 2 years of supervision on release
Court heard details of grooming and coercion
Prosecutors said Siddiqi approached the boy during the school summer holidays and invited him to "start making money". Initially the youngster declined, believing the reference to be to drugs, but was subsequently persuaded to co‑operate after being shown the apparent financial benefits, including earning money to "help his mother".
The child was supplied with Siddiqi’s Instagram contact details and a mobile phone. He then lied to his mother about attending a "summer holiday camp" and was taken to a known flat in Glasgow, where he was shown how to package crack cocaine. The prosecutor told the court Siddiqi would only visit the flat for a couple of hours each day.
“I have seen the impact statement completed by your victim. He describes what happened as mentally traumatic for him and distressing for his family,” the judge said.
In passing sentence, Lord Scott read from the impact statement and noted the lasting harm caused to the boy’s confidence and trust. The judge also recorded the victim’s concluding remark, in which he expressed the hope that lessons would be learned to protect other children.
Background and legal outcome
Siddiqi pleaded guilty last month to an offence brought under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act. Defence mitigation included an assertion that Siddiqi himself had previously been exploited in similar circumstances before becoming involved in offending. The court was told he had been subject to five separate bail orders prior to sentencing.
Alongside the custodial term, the court ordered that Siddiqi be subject to a further two years’ supervision on his release.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Offence | Exploiting a child to sell drugs (Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act) |
| Sentence | 6 years 9 months custody; 2 years supervision on release |
| Places involved | St Enoch Square arcade (Glasgow), drug addresses in Paisley and Glasgow |
Local impact and wider concerns
The case highlights the vulnerability of young people to grooming and exploitation in public spaces and via social media. For Paisley families and schools, it underlines the continuing need for vigilance where children may be contacted by older youths and asked to attend unfamiliar addresses or offered money for work that appears illicit.
Teachers who became concerned in this case played a decisive role in ensuring the child was recognised as a victim and supported out of the environment in which he had been placed. The victim’s family described the episode as distressing, and the court recorded the psychological damage that followed the exploitation.
The conviction will be of interest to local agencies involved in child protection, youth services and addiction outreach, who continue to tackle the intersection of youth vulnerability and drug‑related criminality across Renfrewshire and neighbouring areas.
Police and child protection partners did not add further comment at the time of sentencing, but the judge’s remarks and the victim’s impact statement have been placed on the public record as part of the court’s explanation of the sentence.
The case marks a significant application of legislation designed to address modern forms of exploitation and is likely to be noted by prosecutors and safeguarding bodies across Scotland as a precedent in cases where children are coerced into drug distribution.
