A dishonest Amazon driver who secretly raked in up to £2.4million after setting up a nationwide exam cheating factory has today been jailed for three years.

From his unassuming Liverpool home, part-time tutor Shahid Adnan went down a 'dark path' by completing university coursework and taking online tests for over 100 students around the UK in return for payment, a court heard.

One paid the 43-year-old a staggering £14,000 to complete and hand in work for which he then attempted to take the credit.

Belying his modest legitimate income, the 'highly-educated' fraudster took his family on luxury holidays to destinations including Dubai, and owned an Audi and a BMW.

The father-of-four's 'sophisticated' racket - believed to be the most lucrative of its kind ever uncovered in the UK - was exposed when a Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) computer forensics science student handed in coursework.

A lecturer ran standard checks on the pen drive to check it was the student’s own work using a digital forensics tool and discovered it was linked to a company run by Adnan called Study Sharp Limited.

The device also contained individual login credentials to the university’s network, enabling Adnan to fraudulently submit work and take examinations on behalf of other students.

Police were called, and when they raided his unassuming home – which was packed with upmarket white goods and luxury furnishings – they found bundles of cash.

Further checks established he had more than £2.4million in multiple bank and trading accounts.

As he was sentenced today after admitting pocketing £300,000 from his illicit business, prosecutors revealed they believe he had fraudulently helped 124 students at universities all over the UK.

According to his profile on networking website LinkedIn, Adnan – who has a PhD in microwave engineering – has worked as a lecturer, during which he boasts of ‘fostering an engaging and dynamic learning environment’.

‘I am committed to inspiring students to excel and to advancing the academic community through innovative teaching methods and research collaboration,’ he adds.

His fraud came to light in February 2023 when a student handed in a pen drive with coursework that he claimed was his to the computer forensics department at LJMU.

In reality, the student had paid Adnan £14,000 to do the work for him.

When lecturer Dr Tom Berry carried out routine checks and ran a digital forensics tool it showed the device had previously been used by Adnan, with documents linking it to his tutoring company.

Dr Berry also found Excel spreadsheets containing details of other students, their study modules, coursework due dates, and their personal login credentials to the university network.

Further checks showed Adnan was accessing the network to fraudulently submit work and take examinations on behalf of other students.

Merseyside Police’s Cyber Dependant Crime Unit obtained a search warrant for Adnan’s home in Everton where he was arrested.

An IP address used to submit multiple pieces of student work was also triangulated to his address. 

Adnan admitted logging into the university’s online system using the computing student’s personal details, claiming he was paid just £250 for the service.

But police immediately suspected it was only the tip of the iceberg as he was living a 'lavish' lifestyle well beyond his means as tutor and Amazon Flex delivery driver – his known occupations.

He owned two cars, an Audi and a BMW, while his home had expensive furnishings and white goods.

His Barclays Bank account contained £1,505,156, his Lloyds Bank personal account stood at £600,590 and there was £245,279 in his Lloyds Bank business account. A further PayPal account contained £110,214.

Adnan was charged with fraud by false representation, causing a computer to perform a function to secure or enable unauthorised access, and converting criminal property.

He admitted all three offences at separate hearings last year.

Today at Liverpool Crown Court, Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting, claimed that the value of Adnan's criminality originally started in excess of £2million.

But that figure was reduced after a forensic accounting report plus negotiations between the defence and prosecution. 

However Mr Rogers stressed that £300,000 was the figure just for sentencing purposes and not proceeds of crime proceedings, which are to follow at a later date.

Ian Whitehurst, defending, said Adnan had no previous offences and felt 'considerable shame'. 

Adnan - who has subsequently become an Uber driver - sat in the dock with his head bowed throughout the hearing. 

Jailing him for three years, the judge, Recorder Andrew Vinson, said his offences had been 'prolonged and sophisticated'. 

'You started out as a legitimate tutor and you are a highly educated and qualified individual. You have been led down a dark path.'

He said Adnan had abused his position by 'fraudulently monetising' courses and exams at a network of universities, undermining public confidence in the higher education system.

Therefore there needed to be an element of deterrence in his sentence, the judge added. 

Afterwards Detective Sergeant Adam Dagnall, of Merseyside Police, said: '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.'

Senior Crown Prosecutor Andrew Madden said 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 added: '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: '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.'