Latest Offenders Birmingham

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A DANGEROUS sex offender who abused two young girls in the 1980s and 90s has been jailed.

Raymond Higgins, of Old Forest Way in Shard End, was found guilty of eight offences of indecently assaulting the girls for over eight years.

The 71-year-old was jailed for 14 years at Coventry Crown Court and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

He was arrested and questioned in 2019 after the women he abused came forward and reported him to the police.

West Midlands Police say in interview, he denied being responsible for any of the assaults, accusing the two victims of colluding to cause him problems.

The force added Higgins was deemed a dangerous offender by the court.

DC Sunita Sharma, from the Public Protection Unit at Coventry, said: “These were a series of appalling assaults on two young girls.

“Higgins denied any responsibility when questioned by officers and we welcome his conviction.

“These kind of offences are taken extremely seriously, no matter how long ago they took place.”

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A convicted sex offender staged an £8,000 burglary in a bedsit while the victim was in hospital. Jordan Chalmers, of no fixed address, raided the home in Tyseley in September.

The 26-year-old, who was wanted for recall to prison, pocketed cash and "high-value items" after discovering it was empty. Forensic officers were called after the victim returned from hospital to discover someone had gained entry to his room.

Despite there being no witnesses, forensic officers lifted a fingerprint from a toolbox.

The print was matched to Chalmers, who also took a number of knives from the room. He was detained on October 20 after failing to stop for traffic officers.

Chalmers initially denied the charge. But he pleaded guilty following further evidence in court and was jailed for 20 months.

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "A man has been jailed for stealing around £8,000-worth of items from a property in Tyseley. Jordan Chalmers committed the burglary in September this year and was jailed for 20 months at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday December 16 2022."

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Maxime Owona smashed his way into a woman's home, before pinning her down, threatening her and then raping her.

A ‘despicable’ rapist who pinned a woman down and threatened to rape her after smashing his way into her Warwickshire home has been jailed. Maxime Owona broke into the woman’s home in the Tile Hill area of Coventry in April this year, first smashing a window, and forced himself onto the woman, after he awoke her in bed.

The 33-year-old, who knew the woman, pinned her down and threatened her, making her fear for her safety, unless she agreed to his demands. He then raped her.

But after the sickening attack described by police as a ‘horrific ordeal’ the woman managed to alert a relative whole Owona was still in her home. They called the police and the attacker was arrested at the home shortly afterwards.

 DC Evie Griffiths, from West Midlands Police ’s public protection unit, said: "This was a traumatic ordeal for the woman who was left fearing for her safety in the place she should feel most safe - her home. She managed to contact a relative who alerted us to the attack.

“And we were able to swiftly arrest Owona - who initially gave us a false name. This was a despicable crime and he's now been put behind bars for a long time.”

Owona of no fixed address, was convicted of rape and trespass following a trial at Warwick Crown Court. He was put behind bars for 15 years last Monday (November 28). He will also be on the sex offender's register for life and also given a restraining order not to contact the woman.

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A brutal "predator" has been jailed for raping a woman who awoke naked in a strange flat to find him sexually assaulting her. The victim had no memory of anything between leaving a pub where Steven Walker, 43, was believed to have approached her and the moment she woke up.

He was arrested at his flat in Quinton Lane, Birmingham, after the woman's friends encouraged her to report her ordeal to police. The West Midlands force also obtained CCTV showing him leading her out of the pub on a Saturday night in November 2019.

Walker admitted having sex with the victim through the night after he was detained, the force said.

At Birmingham Crown Court last month, he was jailed for nine years and six months for three counts of rape. He will also be placed on the sex offender register for life.

West Midlands Police said it was "really pleased to see that justice has been served against a dangerous predator who took advantage of a woman in a vulnerable condition who was not in a position to give consent". 

At Birmingham Crown Court last month, he was jailed for nine years and six months for three counts of rape. He will also be placed on the sex offender register for life.

West Midlands Police said it was "really pleased to see that justice has been served against a dangerous predator who took advantage of a woman in a vulnerable condition who was not in a position to give consent". 

"The woman has said she can now move on with her life knowing she helped prevent this happening to anyone else. We work hard at West Midlands Police to ensure women and girls can feel safe when they are out on a night out.

"This includes working with agencies to ensure people can get home safely or by working with night time venues, where staff are informed of what signs to look out for. We will always believe victims and would urge anyone who is a victim of this type of crime to have the courage to come forward.

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A convicted rapist has left a young woman ‘grieving the freedom’ she felt before he violated her.

Luke Sargent had already been convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl in Rushall on Christmas Day of 2011. He was sentenced to six years in prison with a three-year extended licence, but in the early hours of 8 June the 31-year-old struck again.

CCTV shows he had spent some time following groups of women before targeting her in Selly Oak. He grabbed a 20-year-old woman as she made her way home and dragged her into a property which was being renovated. He threatened to slit her throat before violently raping her.

Investigating officer DC Andy Carnall said: “It is testament to the young woman that she bravely reported what had happened to her.

“She convinced her attacker she would keep quiet for £20 hoping the note would contain his DNA, and remembered as much detail as she could, enabling her to pick him out on an ID parade.”

Sargent was arrested after being spotted by officers making enquiries with builders at the renovation site. He matched the description the woman had given and was taken into custody. Doorbell footage was also recovered which revealed an audio recording of a man threatening to slit the woman’s throat. 

 At trial the jury heard a very emotional impact statement. She said: “I’ve since looked back at pictures of my friends and I out having fun the same night before I was attacked, and I just want to scream out to younger me to run, that she’s in danger, to go find safety, as she has no idea what she’s about to endure.

“I was just trying to walk home.”

Sargent, from Cadnam Close in Birmingham, was jailed for 18 years with a minimum term of 12 years before he will be eligible to apply for parole and will remain on licence for life. He will also remain on the sex offender’s register for life.

DC Carnall added: “This is a significant sentence which reflects the danger Sargent poses. I commend the young woman for her tenacity and bravery during the investigation and trial.”

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A perverted shopper was chased around a Tesco store after taking pictures of children in the toy aisle. A fuming mum ran after Dean Wood after noticing he had been taking snaps of her two young children.

He even tried to flee before being stopped by other members of the public, a court has heard. Indecent images and videos of youngsters were found on convicted sex offender's phone.

The mother noticed the 46-year-old, who appeared "dodgy and on-edge", holding his phone close to his chest and not looking at toys at around 2.30pm on February 12. He was around 4ft from the children, aged three and six, and seemed to be taking pictures of them, said Phillip Vollans, prosecuting.

Wood moved away to the Health and Beauty section and the mum decided to follow him and believed he may have been taking photos of other children, BirminghamLive reports. Mr Vollans said the woman called her husband, who was outside, and they confronted Wood, demanding: "Excuse me why are you taking photos of my kids?"

Mr Vollans said Wood was defensive and denied having taken pictures, but tried to flee the Sutton Coldfield branch when the family said they were going to contact store security. Police officers sent to the scene found he had been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order in October 2011 after a conviction for a series of sexual offences.

In breach of the order, Wood twice refused to give the pin number for his phone and he was also found to have another phone at his home along with a Toshiba laptop. Mr Vollans said indecent images, both moving and still, were found on the phone he had used at Tesco.

Wood had admitted four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and three charges of possessing indecent images. He was jailed for four years and two months. Passing sentence, Judge John Butterfield told him he had taken pictures in Tesco "for sexual purposes".

He went on: "Your behaviour was serious and distressing for the parents who effectively had to chase you through the supermarket and grab the phone off you facing the knowledge their children had been photographed on a phone by a sex offender." Charles Blatchford, defending, said there had not been any physical contact with the children.

He said there had been some deception regarding the phone and laptop found at his home but he had been in regular contact with his offender manager. Mr Blatchford said Wood had a 78-year-old mother to whom he had given regular assistance over mobility issues and that, after going on the straight and narrow for some time during lockdown, his "bad habits had come back".

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A sick paedophile who preyed on a teenager with learning difficulties and convinced her to have sex with him was caught after the youngster revealed all to her mum. Pervert Sam Collier persuaded the 'vulnerable' 14-year-old to skip going home after school and instead spend time with him at the Birmingham hostel where he lived.

Her worried mother raised the alarm when she failed to return home, with police discovering her in Collier's flat the next day. But the youngster only revealed she had been with the 28-year-old after her concerned mum spotted 'marks'.

It came just weeks after Collier was arrested when paedophile hunters duped him into thinking he was meeting up with a different schoolgirl for sex. Now vile predator Collier has been locked up after a judge branded him a 'dangerous offender'.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how a member of a so-called paedophile hunting group was 'clearly' posing online as a 14-year-old. The schoolgirl 'repeated' her age throughout conversations with him on Facebook Messenger from December 27, 2018, and January 3, 2019.

Prosecutor Ben Williams said: "The messages were turned into a sexual direction by the defendant, really from the outset. He also lied about his age, insisting he was only 15. The messages involved the defendant quickly beginning to press her to send him intimate pictures. She did nothing to encourage the defendant's messages."

Collier sent her explicit pictures before planning to meet in Kings Heath for sex, where he was met by members of the paedophile hunting group.

The paedophile was arrested but was released on bail and started speaking to a real girl on Facebook. Their conversations moved to texts and WhatsApp, with the girl making it clear she was 14. She was 'extremely vulnerable', with a reading age of eight, and needed extra help at school, Mr Williams said.

The young victim also had a history of self-harm, which she referred to in her conversations with Collier. Mr Williams added: "The defendant must have known she had mental health issues and [was] vulnerable."

The pair arranged to meet in Wolverhampton about a fortnight later but the child's mother stopped her from leaving the house. Three days later she failed to come back home from school, with her mum identifying Collier from messages on her tablet.

Police then discovered the girl at Collier's flat - which was within a Handsworth hostel - the next morning. Her mum spotted 'marks' on her neck and body, with the girl revealing she was taken to Collier's home.

Mr Williams said: "It was the defendant who arranged to meet her after school with the specific reason given that her mother would not be there." Callum Church, defending, said Collier has had a 'chaotic existence' since childhood and does not speak to any of his family members.

He understands he 'needs a new life', Mr Church added. The court was told how Collier had previous convictions dating back to when he was a youth, including burglary, battery and breach of a court order.

Sentencing, Judge Rhona Campbell said the convict was 'desperate' for his conversations with the real girl to become 'sexual'. She added: "She was an extremely vulnerable girl. Her mental health was of such fragility that she had been accessing the children and adolescent mental health services."

Collier admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and committing an offence with the intention of committing a relevant sexual offence. The judge said he was 'dangerous' and handed him an extended sentence of 13 years on October 13.

It means he must serve at least two-thirds of his 10-year jail term and will be subject to an extended licence period of three years once released. Collier, from Bolton, Lancashire, was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must remain on the sex offenders register for life.

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A twisted Birmingham Uber driver sexually assaulted a teenage student after 'trapping' her in his car during a nine-minute terror journey. The 19-year-old victim was on her way to work when she was molested by the father-of-three, who had persuaded her to sit in the front seat.

Deeq Mursal, 38, had picked up the young woman at 5.40am on December 9 2018 to take her to her early shift at a hotel. She had wanted to get in the back of his taxi but the defendant instructed her to get in the front, in breach of his training.

She thought nothing of it at the time and agreed, Birmingham Crown Court was told. But over the next nine minutes she was sexually assaulted by the perverted Uber driver, before he eventually dropped her near her work - out of sight of CCTV.

Mursal, of Cromwell Street, Nechells, has now been jailed for two years after after previously being found guilty of sexual assault. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

In passing sentence, Judge Paul Farrer QC said he believed the attack was planned from the moment he picked the victim up. "I have no doubt that even at this early stage you had decided you were going to assault her," he said.

"You pulled away and almost immediately placed your hand on her inner leg and ran it up her inner thigh-to her groin, despite her repeated protests."

The judge said Mursal continued to sexually assault her during the nine minute journey and that he had taken a "circuitous" route to the destination. He had also deliberately driven in the wrong direction.

The court was told the defendant at one point asked the victim to go to a hotel with him. He had also grabbed her hand and tried to get her to touch him, but she managed to pull away.

The judge continued: "As this was taking place it was dark and there were no other people and cars about and as the victim told the jury, no one knew where she was. In those circumstances she was understandably terrified.

"None the less she stood up to you and you eventually dropped her off but you did so a short distance away from the hotel, no doubt to evade being captured on CCTV. This was a sustained attack upon a young vulnerable woman who trusted you to transport her safely to her place of work."

Referring to her victim impact statement he said: "As a result of your behaviour she has changed her behaviour and no longer uses taxis when she is alone. You targeted a loan woman in the early hours of the morning in circumstances in which she was effectively trapped in your taxi."

Simon Hanns, defending, said Mursal was of good character and had previously fled Somalia because of persecution. He still maintained his innocence and so could not get any credit for remorse.

He said he had a wife and three children, including one who was severely disabled. He had also lost his job as an Uber driver.

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This is the first picture of a shamed former Birmingham teacher jailed for sexually assaulting three schoolgirls. Muhammad Taimoor – who worked at an unnamed secondary school in the city– groomed the young girls by offering them the liberty to truant lessons and spend time with him in his classroom.

The 30-year-old also allowed the 16-year-olds to use their mobile phones and vapes and gave them chocolates and doughnuts as treats. Taimoor, of Richmond Road, Yardley, also joined a Snapchat group which he used to sexually communicate with the the students.

Taimoor was caught when his brave victims told another teacher what happened. The maths teacher was arrested and later admitted 11 charges of sexual assault in a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court last month.

 He was jailed for three years during a sentencing hearing on September 13. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard one victim said Taimoor would compliment the girls on their appearance and ask for hugs in the classroom, away from CCTV. He would also tell them they were sexy and beautiful and grabbed one on the bottom and asked her if she was ticklish.

Another victim said he had hugged her, slapped her bottom and tried to put his hand inside her top. He had asked her for a nude picture and she had sent him a photo of her chest, wearing a bra.

He had also waited for her outside the girl's toilets and picked up a ruler and ran it up her leg. A third victim said the defendant had touched her breasts while re-fixing a sticker on her chest.

It was "an appalling abuse of trust and power by someone in a position of authority", according to training Det Con Megan Davies, from West Midlands Police's Child Abuse Investigation team.

She continued: “Taimoor essentially groomed and sexually assaulted a number of his female students on and off school premises. This will have long lasting and scarring effects on the girls, who are young and vulnerable. We commend their bravery in coming forward and helping to ensure his successful prosecution.

“We do not underestimate how traumatic his actions have been and our trained officers continue to support the girls, alongside partner agencies.”

Taimoor pled not guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a fourth girl. The denied charges were accepted by the prosecution and will remain on file.

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Police have issued an appeal to find a wanted sex offender. Paul Chapman failed to comply with his probation licence, cops have said.

The 58-year-old also reportedly breached sex offender notification requirements. Chapman is from the Dudley area and a warrant is out for his arrest.

Anyone who sees him or has information on his whereabouts is asked to call 999 immediately.

A spokesperson for Dudley police said on Twitter: "Do you know where Paul Chapman is? The 58-year-old from Dudley is wanted on a warrant for failing to comply with his probation licence & breaching sex offender notification requirements.

"If you have any information please call 999 quoting 20/183619/22."

Cops shared an image of Chapman alongside the statement. It showed him with a grey beard and blue eyes.

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A married taxi driver deliberately got a teenage girl drunk before having sex with her at a house in Birmingham. As a result of the incident the victim had attempted suicide.

Mohammed Zubair, 58, of Crowther Road, Erdington, who had previously admitted sexual activity with a child, was jailed for six years. He was also put on the sex offender register for life.

Sarah Allen, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said: "She recalls that he was talking inappropriately about sex life with his partner, making sex videos and about other underage girls. It was all highly inappropriate sexualised conversation that should not have been taking place."

Miss Allen said the 14-year-old had been on a sofa and that she became so unwell that she was sick. "It was during that time he took the opportunity to take advantage of her," she added.

Miss Allen said the girl was "conscious and was able to understand what was going on." Miss Allen said Zubair then had sex with the teenager and that it was her first sexual experience. A couple of days later she told a friend what had happened.

She said that it had had a detrimental effect on the victim's mental health who had counselling. In passing sentence Judge Richard Bond said: "Although you are a gentleman who does not drink alcohol yourself I have no doubt you were fully aware of what the effects of drinking alcohol would have been on such a young girl.

"The incident has had a real effect upon your victim who has talked about wanting to go to hell and feeling disgusted by what you did. You targeted a particularly vulnerable girl.

"You ensured she would comply with your urges by ensuring that she was drunk and having seen that she had been sick you took complete advantage over her. You were made aware on at least one occasion that she said no during the incident."

Jonathan Barker, defending, said Zubair had no previous relevant convictions and that his last conviction was in 2014 which related to his work as a taxi driver. He said he suffered from ill health and went on "The offence was out of character. The defendant regrets his behaviour and is remorseful."

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A former football coach who groomed a boy with a promise of trials at professional clubs has been jailed for another ten years over child sexual abuse. Kevan Tudor was already serving a nine-year sentence for sex offences.

The 61-year-old, who had lived in Birmingham, was previously found guilty of arranging or facilitating child prostitution and two counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child in May 2016. He was one of ten men jailed for their part in the historical exploitation and abuse of two teenage boys in 2002 to 2003 and 2009 to 2010.

After seeing a newspaper article about Tudors conviction, another individual came forward to West Midlands Police in 2017. He reported being abused by Tudor when he was just 12 in the early 1980s.

After suffering mentally since his abuse, he did not feel strong enough to support an investigation and the case was filed. However, in 2019 he felt stronger and, having spent his life plagued by doubt that anyone would believe him, he approached police again.

The force's investigation stalled during the covid pandemic as prison visits were not allowed in the lockdown and officers were unable to interview Tudor. Also many people police needed to speak to for evidence gathering were elderly and also isolating.

But the breakthrough came from an original handwritten football club statistic book from 1980 to 1986 with all teams, matches, goals and coach records meticulously kept by the-then team manager of the club where Tudor coached.

From this police traced many of the team, now men in their 50s, secured witness accounts and identified further people who had suffered abuse. Police followed the trail of Tudors career into private coaching and found another survivor, with no knowledge of the others, who he had abused from the age of ten.

Investigating officer Det Con Lisa Monahan said: Tudor groomed the boy and his family into believing he could be a famous goalkeeper, with promises of football scouts and trials at top-flight clubs.

Those dreams were used to secure complete freedom of access to the young boy with coaching sessions many times a week, where he was made to perform sexual acts on Tudor until he was 14.

Now in his 50s, he emotively describes the time, as a teenager, when he realised that he was not good enough at football to be professional and never was.

Tudor, previously from Birmingham, was charged with 15 counts of indecent assault on a boy under 16 years of age and two counts of gross indecency against a boy under 14 years of age, against five victims, police said.

He admitted the charges at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, July 8. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison - reduced by five years due to an early guilty plea.

Ms Monahan added: These men were abused by Tudor as boys trying to follow their dreams of being footballers. They were threatened into silence with being dropped from the teams they played for. Tudor was in a position of trust and so cruelly abused his power over boys at such a vulnerable age.

The torment from this does not end when the physical abuse stops and I hope that these men can take some comfort from the knowledge that they are believed.

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A woman out for a walk during the first Covid lockdown was subjected to a frightening street sex attack by Abdishakhur Ahmed

A woman was subjected to a frightening sex attack while out for a walk in Birmingham during a Covid lockdown. Abdishakhur Ahmed grabbed the victim's breast and also rubbed himself against her before fleeing.

Ahmed, 27, of Victor Tower, Nechells, who had previously been convicted of sexual assault following a trial, was sentenced to six months suspended for two years, ordered to pay 200 compensation and put on the Sex Offender's Register for seven years. Paul Fairley, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said: "Just before 8pm on April 9 2020 the victim was crossing Saltley Viaduct just into the first Covid lockdown and had been out for her daily exercise."

She saw the defendant walking towards her and the court heard she thought he may have special education needs because he was mumbling something she could not understand. She then began to cross the road near Saltley Business Park and Ahmed followed her.

The defendant then pulled the woman back by her hood, she began screaming, and he then put his hand down her top placing his hand there for about 30 seconds. He eventually let go but then thrust his pelvis against her bottom several times before running off.

Mr Fairley said two people in a passing car stopped to assist the victim. They initially believed it had been a "boyfriend-girlfriend situation" but then chased after Ahmed, catching up with him and tripping him before waiting for the police to arrive.

In passing sentence Judge Roderick Henderson said: "This was an impulsive offence but it was extremely frightening for this woman who was walking along the road safely as she was entitled to when you literally went out of your way to assault her sexually.

"It would have been wrong to describe it as a sustained or repeated assault but for her it will have felt like a long time. A significant aggravating factor of this offence is that it was committed during the course of a Covid lockdown when most of us were understandably frightened of close contact with other people and that would have made a frightening event even more frightening."

The judge said he had taken into account that Ahmed had stayed out of trouble since the offence and that he wanted to try and stop him repeating his behaviour.

Cathlyn Orchard, defending, said Ahmed was of previous good character and that it had been opportunistic.

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A LONGBRIDGE man has been jailed for 18 years at Birmingham Crown Court for a string of sexual offences.

Darren Hollier, aged 52, of Culmington Road, was convicted of indecency with a male person, five counts of indecent assault, one count of attempted rape and two counts of indecency with a child.

He was found not guilty on one count of attempted rape and not guilty of one count of rape.

The sentences for the offences will run concurrently meaning he will serve 18 years in total.

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A pupil at a top Kent boarding school was sexually assaulted by a senior member of staff, who later went on to teach elsewhere in the country.

Even though the terrified child reported the incident to senior staff at the Maidstone school almost 30 years ago, police were never informed.

Head of chemistry Dr Mohammed Afzal - who was referred to as "X" by his victim - was allowed to resign before going on to teach at other schools, a court has heard.

She told the judge: "When X assaulted me, the school did nothing to support me, other than to dismiss him. I received no mental health support whatsoever.

"I learned to suffer in silence. I was treated like I was a piece of dirt and rubbish to be discarded."

His defiant victim told the judge that her voice was taken away when she was a child before adding: "X effectively imprisoned me and terrified me. My parents and the school did nothing to report X's behaviour to the police.

"But I wanted to be brave for myself and others so that I could speak out.

"My voice was taken away from me when I was a child but I am an adult now. I have carried this burden but it was not my shame. I will no longer suffer in silence for what X did."

The former pupil, who watched proceedings by video-link from an adjoining room, added: "I was particularly vulnerable to X's predatory behaviour because I came from a poor background compared to the majority of pupils.

"School taught me many things but it didn't teach me the warning signs that I was being groomed.

"Signs such as emotional manipulation, coercive behaviour and gaslighting.

"X taught me that words can become dangerous weapons in the mouths of predators."

Afzal - who is now 66 years old - had planned the sex attack after buying alcohol before seducing the child.

Prosecutor Tom Dunn told Maidstone Crown Court: "He was suspended following reports made by the victim who had claimed she had been indecently assaulted.

"However, the school chose not to inform the police about the complaints, and instead they suspended him."

It was only in 2019 when the victim told police that she was suffering from poor mental health caused by her ordeal that criminal investigations began.

The prosecutor told how the pupil was lured to his home in the school on the pretext of babysitting duties.

When the girl realised there were no children present he made excuses before making her telephone her parents claiming she was babysitting.

He added: "Afzal came in to visit her, and seemed concerned about her welfare. He suggested that he would cook dinner for her.

"She said that Afzal gave her wine, which made her feel unusually heavy, and then got into bed with her.

The predator said: "Why don't you kiss me? You are a beautiful girl.

"He then sexually assaulted her by forcing his tongue into her mouth, groping her breasts and touching her."

Mr Dunn also revealed that the devious doctor also had inappropriate relationships with other pupils at the time.

Afzal, now of Sheldon in Birmingham, was arrested at the city's airport before boarding a flight to Dubai.

He was found guilty of sexual assault and has now been jailed for three years and ordered to pay his victim 1,000 compensation.

The court heard how police officers were also able to find written details backing the child's complaint in the archives at Sutton Valence - and a tape recording of Afzal attempting to seduce another pupil.

The judge, Recorder Patricia Hitchcock QC, told him his victim had found his behaviour "disgusting" adding: "Your actions have had a devastating effect on her life.

"Kent Police takes all reports of sexual offences very seriously, no matter how much time has passed since the incident took place"

"You are a highly educated man but you are still unable to grasp the seriousness of your crime."

Investigating officer DC Dan Williams said: "Kent Police takes all reports of sexual offences very seriously, no matter how much time has passed since the incident took place.

"Such offences are never forgotten by the victims, who always display tremendous courage in speaking up to ensure their attackers can be brought to justice.

"The crime committed by Mohammad Afzal was dreadful and I hope his imprisonment sends a clear message to other victims that you can speak to us, we will believe you and we will carry out a full and thorough investigation to bring those responsible before the courts."

A spokesman for the school said: We condemn the actions of this individual in the strongest possible terms, and we express our sympathy to the victims.

"The school notified the Department for Education directly in 1993, following the staff members immediate suspension, and the authorities chose to take no further action.

"The school was first approached by police in 2019 for information to support the recent criminal case, and we have provided our full support throughout.

"In recent inspections, the school has been praised for its safeguarding procedures nothing is more important than the safety of members of our community.