Locations
Rivergreen Crescent, Bramcote, Beeston, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9
Description
A married man who sexually assaulted three victims at a hotel spa has walked free from court.
Dad-of-two Zia Khan targeted a teenager and two women while they were in a jacuzzi and pool area.
The 'arrogant' 48-year-old later lied and claimed that his victims had fabricated the allegations against him.
Nottingham Crown Court heard how how Khan touched the victims inappropriately while they used spa facilities at the Village Hotel, in Attenborough.
The sex attacks took place in April and May 2023, prosecutor Anthony Cheung said.
The first sex assault involved a teenage girl who was in the jacuzzi at the hotel.
He sat next to her in the jacuzzi before inappropriately touching her, NottinghamshireLive reports.
Mr Cheung said: "At first, (she) thought it was an accident. But it then happened again.
"She was too scared to say anything. She looked to one of her friends for help.
"Upon seeing this, the defendant got out of the jacuzzi and walked away."
In the second attack, one woman was getting into the water when she saw Khan walking towards her.
Khan inappropriately touched her as he walked past her.
The prosecutor added: "Later that night, at around 8.30pm, the third victim was in the jacuzzi with her friend and the defendant.
"The defendant had started to submerge himself under the water."
"Once submerged, the victim felt a foot touch her foot.
"She immediately moved away as she thought it was an accident. But this occurred again."
Mr Cheung said Khan went on to inappropriately touch the woman.
The incident was reported to staff, with Khan arrested two days later.
After his sex attacks, the victims told police the perpetrator was wearing yellow swimming shorts.
These were seized from Khan's home in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, when he was arrested.
Laura Hocknell, defending, said: "He is not devoid of any insight, he has said how sorry he is and he shows a degree of victim empathy.
"He’s had to take a long, hard look at himself.
"It has been humiliating for him but the other side of him is that he’s worked all of his life and is the father to two children."
Judge Michael Auty KC said Khan came across as 'arrogant' during his trial when he told jurors how his victims had made up their claims.
But he went on to say that Khan's conviction and public outing in the media has made him a 'different man' who feels humiliated by his actions.
Judge Auty said: "No man worthy of the name ever sexually assaults a woman, end of. It is despicable behaviour which was degrading and humiliating for them.
"You might say it is nothing more than a bit of fun for you but this can have the most profound and long-lasting effect on wholly innocent women.
"They did not deserve what you did to them and you denied the offences saying they had all made it up.
"Imagine for just one moment what your reaction would be if someone would have done that to your beloved wife or your beloved daughter.
"You would be furious and rightly so.
"I make it plain that the women who came forward were extraordinarily brave and none of them did anything wrong.
"Sending you to prison would send out a powerful message that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated [and] during the trial you came across as rather arrogant but you are a different man today.
"Inevitable humiliation has come your way, finding yourself in the press and what that has done to you in your community.
"There’s a large part of me that wants to send you to custody but that would not compensate those victims and there would be no input and intervention from the probation service and you might well go out and do this again."
Khan, of Rivergreen Crescent, was handed a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, for three counts of sexual assault.
He was made subject to a 35-day rehabilitation activity requirement and told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work .
The sex offender must pay £1,000 compensation to two of the victims and £750 to the third.
Khan was also handed a 10-year restraining order banning him from going to the Village Hotel complex and he must remain on the sex offenders register for 10 years.