Latest Offenders Bradford

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A "cold and calculated" sex offender who pretended to be a teenage boy on social media to groom and abuse an 11-year-old girl has been jailed for more than a decade.

Abdullah Khalid Mhana, 26, lied about his age on the apps and encouraged youngsters to engage in sexual activity with him.

Mhana, of Hirst Lodge Court, Bradford, admitted 17 offences including rape, sexual assault and making indecent images of a child.

At Bradford Crown Court on Monday, he was jailed for 10-and-a-half years.

Mhana began grooming the 11 year old in 2020 and met up a year later at a Bradford park where he persuaded her to perform a sex act.

He recorded some of the acts on his mobile phone, the court heard.

That device was subsequently seized and examined by police in 2022 when they were investigating his involvement with another underage girl.

Despite being given a formal warning to stay away from the second child, Mhana continued to have sex with the first complainant after she turned 13.

'Deliberately sought out'

That device was subsequently seized and examined by police in 2022 when they were investigating his involvement with another underage girl.

Despite being given a formal warning to stay away from the second child, Mhana continued to have sex with the first complainant after she turned 13.

Jailing him, Recorder Andrew Dallas said Mhana had committed offences of great gravity.

This was in my judgement cold, calculating behaviour in which you deliberately sought out the sexual favours of someone who you knew to be 11 years of age."

He said when the girl tried to break off contact with the defendant he had wormed his way back into her affections.

The court heard that Mhana later persuaded the girl to go just for a drive in his car, but he then had sex with her in the vehicle.

The judge highlighted the fact that the formal warning Mhana received from the police in the summer of 2022 should have been a wake-up call for him, but he had been undeterred and continued his abuse of the child.

Recorder Dallas said he was not satisfied that Mhana had expressed genuine remorse for his offending or that he had proper empathy for the victims.

Mhana will now have to serve at least two-thirds of his prison sentence and he will then be subject to an extended licence period of two-and-a-half years.

He will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

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A judge has praised a young girl as he jailed her abuser.

Bradford man Habib-Ur Rehman, 40, was told by Judge Colin Burn that he had abused the youngster, who must not be identified for legal reasons, in an atrocious way and the psychological damage done to her could be lifelong.

He told him: “I should say that (the complainant) showed, in my view, great bravery and fortitude in coming forward so soon after and at such a young age."

Rehman, of Ransdale Road, was found guilty by a jury of one charge of rape, two allegations of sexual activity with a child and one offence of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity following a trial at Bradford Crown Court last year.

Due to the nature of the offences Rehman was classed as “an offender of particular concern," meaning that if he is released on licence after serving two-thirds of his 14-year jail term that would be extended by a further year.

Judge Burn said the complainant had suffered severe psychological harm and that was supported by a victim impact statement. He said: “The sentences therefore in this case have to reflect the seriousness of the offending. There can, of course, be no reduction to reflect any admissions or guilty pleas for there were none in this case.”

Rehman will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

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A BRADFORD man who raped a young girl has been handed a nine-year prison sentence.

Ashley Nibbs, 34, appeared via a video link from HMP Leeds for his sentence hearing at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday after he had pleaded guilty to two rape allegations and two charges of sexual assault.

The victim of Nibbs’ crimes must not be identified for legal reasons, but the court heard that his abuse of her had left her suffering nightmares.

Immediately after committing the offences Nibbs, of Wickham Green, Holme Wood, denied that anything had happened and accused the girl of lying.

Although he had pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier court hearing, Judge Jonathan Gibson noted that in a pre-sentence report Nibbs still maintained his denials.

Barrister Brooke Morrison, for Nibbs, said he had no relevant previous convictions and the sentence he was facing today was an extremely daunting prospect.

She said her client suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and his condition had been exacerbated while in prison.

Miss Morrison said Nibbs was receiving abuse on a daily basis because of the offences and he feared for his life.

“Since his arrest for these offences he has lost everything,” said Miss Morrison.

Judge Gibson said he had to sentence Nibbs for serious sexual abuse of the complainant and there had been strong evidence against the defendant.

He said Nibbs only had himself to blame for the catastrophic effect of his offending.

The judge explained that after a trial Nibbs would have been jailed for 12 years, but guilty pleas in such cases were a matter of importance and he was entitled to a 25 per cent reduction in the sentence.

Nibbs will have to serve two-thirds of the nine-year prison sentence, but Judge Gibson also imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which restricts his contact with females under 18 in future.

Nibbs will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

Description

A man has been jailed for 17 years after he used his hair removal business in Bradford as a base to sexually assault eight women.

Terry James, 53, of Halifax Road, Dewsbury, also admitted distributing indecent images of children.

At Bradford Crown Court, the judge described James as a "dangerous" offender who had "betrayed" victims who had trusted him.

James was also placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard James, who appeared friendly and professional to his clients, put goggles and blindfolds on his victims during laser hair removal treatments, before using a secret camera to film and photograph them.

The court was also told James had lured victims into his business by offering discounts on the laser treatments.

James had previously denied the offences, but on the final day of a trial in September pleaded guilty to 13 charges of assault by penetration, five of sexual assault and further offences of distributing and possessing indecent images of children.

Judge Sophie McKone described James as a man "with no sexual boundaries" whose perverted desires were not satisfied by looking at indecent images of children.

'Most vile'

During his sentencing it emerged that in 2017 he had been given a suspended prison sentence of four months for possessing indecent images of children and in May 2020 he had been arrested again for having similar material.

He was released under investigation for those offences and went on to commit the more serious sexual offences against the women.

Before sentencing him Judge McKone told James: "These women trusted you. You led them to believe you were their friend and you betrayed that trust in the most vile way."

The judge said James' selfish actions had had a profound impact on his victims' lives and the fear of the videos ending up on social media must have made the women feel incredibly anxious.

Two of James' victims read out personal statements in court.

One described suffering flashbacks of the abuse and having to undergo counselling, while the other said she could no longer trust men in a professional capacity.

Another victim said she felt "violated" by what James had done.

Judge McKone concluded that James was a dangerous offender and that an extended licence period of three years was needed.

James will have to serve at least two thirds of his 17-year sentence before the Parole Board can consider whether it is safe to release him.

Description

A sick sexual predator whose dangerous behaviour got worse over a decade is finally behind bars.

Rizwan Hussain, 44, has been handed an extended sentence made up of eight years in custody and an extended licence period of four years after he was found guilty of a catalogue of sick sexual offences.

Bradford Crown Court heard that in 2014, Hussain, of Daisy Fields in Bradford, was sentenced to supervision after he was caught exposing himself to children in a changing room at the Richard Dunn sports centre. He was also made the subject of a five-year sex offender registration order, but when that was due to lapse in 2019 the police used their civil powers to successfully obtain a new sexual harm prevention order from the magistrates because of various allegations that had been made against him.

Judge Jonathan Rose said that in 2013 there had been reports of Hussain masturbating near a primary school and in 2016 he had been seen speaking to a group of children aged between 10 and 16. In 2017 Hussain admitted having sex with a 15-year-old girl who he said he thought was 16 and in 2019 he was alleged to have abducted a 13-year-old girl.

Judge Rose said: “Of course none of those matters has resulted in a conviction and I have not been told why." He said the allegations raised very real concerns and were the background to Hussain’s latest offences committed in February this year.

Following a trial before Judge Rose in July Hussain, a married father-of-four, was found guilty by the jury of engaging in sexual activity with a teenage boy who was vulnerable due to his age and the fact that he had been drinking alcohol. The court heard that Hussain gave the boy £10 and then got the youngster to perform a sex act on him.

A teenage girl saw what was happening and Hussain invited her to join in. The court heard that Hussain was a stranger to both of the children involved.

On Hussain was jailed for offences of engaging in sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and breaching his sexual harm prevention order. The judge told him: “I simply do not accept that you have or have shown any element of remorse whatsoever."

He said Hussain’s escalation in offending was the clearest indication of the dangers he posed and he described Hussain as “an opportunistic sexual predator” who indiscriminately targeted others for his sexual gratification.

The judge imposed a new sexual harm prevention order which will last for the rest of Hussain’s life and Hussain will also have to register as a sex offender with the police.

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A sick predator followed a woman in Bradford then subjected her to a horrific sexual assault.

Kieran Neal, 21, attacked the woman as she walked through Bradford city centre in August 2021. Bradford Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Neal had earlier offered the woman £10 to have sex with him, but she refused. Prosecutor Philip Standfast said she had pushed him off but then saw him performing a sex act in the street.

CCTV footage then showed Neal following the woman, who was a sex worker, and performing the sex act again after he had grabbed her breast and put his hand inside her top. He was recognised from the CCTV by a PCSO but Neal denied being the person on the recording when he was arrested.

The court was told is he currently serving a sentence after being recalled to prison and on Wednesday was sentenced again for sexual assault, indecent exposure and a house burglary, which had been committed in the Preston area in September 2021. Recorder Paul Reid said he had a terrible record of offending for his age.

Neal was jailed for 876 days as a "third strike" burglary offender with concurrent sentences of 10 months and one month for the sexual offences. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for the next seven years.

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A Yorkshire woman says she has "lost track of the amount of times" she has cried when thinking about how she was raped, and suffers from nightmares years after it happened.

Last week, sick Vira Hussaini, 35, of Bradford, was jailed for four years at Leeds Crown Court after he raped a woman who was left with serious injuries in the terrifying attack in 2018.

Following the sentence, the woman told YorkshireLive she is now being supported by family and friends, but has suffered the effects of the attack since. She said: "He held me down by my wrists and raped me. He tore me, causing bleeding, which led me to seek support from the health sector. I was worried about the safety of other women and built up the courage to report him to the police in August 2019...

"We all thought he would have been given a longer sentence, however we are grateful that a level of justice has been served after many years suffering in silence."

In her victim impact statement, the woman told how she has "struggled tremendously" since the attack and said: "I feel that I have either no appetite, or spend time comfort eating. In relation to sexual health, I was worried about whether or not I had been passed a disease...Fortunately I was given the all clear."

The woman said she has since left work and has used her savings to pay for her mortgage and bills. She added: "I feel that my emotional wellbeing has been greatly affected, as I have lost track of the amount of times that I have cried when this incident has come into my thoughts. I have also suffered with graphic sexual abuse nightmares, to the point where a close friend has heard me screaming in my sleep. I must add that I have also felt panicked at times, like I am having heart palpitations."

In her statement, the woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - said she had to have photographs taken of her genetalia and said she felt she lost her dignity during this. She said: "I feel that I have no privacy left and I am embarrassed that so many strangers from the court process are now aware of my personal matters. Sadly, the stigma of rape will always remain with me and I have to learn to continue living with that...

"I feel that my social life has been greatly affected too, as I have become more insular over the past few years. This has been due to the fact that I no longer feel confident or safe, which has left me feeling socially isolated at times. I have seen a negative impact upon my loved ones too....I have seen close and treasured family members and friends cry when taking the time to support me."

The woman said she has accessed support, including counselling, reiki, group therapy and has also engaged with an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor since the attack. She said: "Overall, the past four-and-a-half years have been immensely stressful and taken up so much energy. It has also taken up a significant amount of time, when trying to work through this trauma.

"I makes me feel sad that he could have admitted what he did and shown both acceptance and remorse a long time ago. This would have allowed me to access justice and closure, but instead I have had to endure the criminal court process, in order to fight for justice to be served.

"It is hard to describe in full how I feel after the sexual violence that I was subject to, although I have tried my best to explain...Ultimately what I am really trying to say is, I have air in my lungs, but feel like I can't breathe. And I have a heart that works, but feels broken. I now plan to rebuild myself and not allow this man to destroy me any further."

Description

A judge has highlighted the bravery of a sexual abuse survivor who had to go through two trials before finally seeing her attacker jailed for eight years.

The woman, who must not be identified for legal reasons, read out a powerful victim personal statement during the sentencing hearing at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday and described the profound effects of the crimes committed against her by sick Shahid Mehmood.

Mehmood, of Addison Avenue in Bradford, was found guilty after his second trial of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and five counts of sexual activity with a child. He was acquitted of one charge of sexual assault.

The woman told the court Mehmood’s offending had taken away her innocence as a child and she was still suffering flashbacks and nightmares of the abuse years later. She added: “I thought it was my fault and now I know that is completely false."

She said Mehmood had never accepted any responsibility and instead he had lied putting her through the added stress of having to come to court and relive the events.

Despite being found guilty of a catalogue of evil sex offences, Recorder Ben Nolan KC noted that Mehmood, 52, still maintained his innocence. He said Mehmood, who had no previous convictions, had been interviewed by police back in January 2019 and flatly denied the offences.

“Your denials have persisted to this day,” said the judge.

“It is now over four years since your arrest. There has been significant delay caused in part by the pandemic but in part caused by your own denials. The effect on (the complainant) has clearly been profound. She’s read her victim personal statement this morning very bravely and with great dignity.”

Recorder Nolan jailed Mehmood for eight years and also imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Mehmood, who will serve at least two thirds of his jail term, will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and he must comply with an indefinite restraining order.

Description

A dangerous offender from Bradford has been locked up for 22 years after he was found guilty of 22 offences including rape and threats to kill.

Dale Osborne, 43, was convicted by a jury on February 13 of nine rapes, six actual bodily harm offences, one attempted rape, one sexual assault, three threats to kill and two false imprisonments. The offences related to three victims and took place between 2002 and 2014.

Appearing before Bradford Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday (July 13), Osborne, of Deanwood Court, was jailed for 22 years. He must serve a minimum of two thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for release.

A further Dangerous Offender provision was also made which means he must remain on licence for a further seven years after the 22-year custodial period ends. Osborne was also issued with a lifetime restraining order preventing him from contacting his three victims directly or indirectly.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register. Detective Inspector Ian Cottrell of Bradford Safeguarding Team said: "Osborne is a danger to women and we welcome the significant sentence handed down to Osborne today.

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A Bradford taxi driver who drove an intoxicated woman home after a night out and raped her while she was almost unconscious on a sofa has been jailed for nine years.

Assad Khan, who had worked as a taxi driver for more than 20 years, used his victim’s bank card to steal £250 from her account instead of withdrawing the £25 for the fare when they stopped at a cashpoint in the early hours.

The judge at Bradford Crown Court said today that after taking the woman to her home Khan ‘barged’ his way in uninvited and while she was almost unconscious, he raped her.

After the attack last year, Khan used the woman’s key to lock the front door and then posted it back through the letterbox.

When she woke up, she felt disgusted but initially she was too embarrassed to tell anyone.

A few days later, Khan, 55, of John Street, Clayton, Bradford, turned up on her doorstep and tried to defend his actions, saying she could get him into trouble.

Recorder Ben Nolan KC said he had no doubt that Khan was trying to find out if she could remember what had happened and try to persuade her not to take any action citing his need to keep his job.

The woman reported the attack to the police and when Khan was arrested, he claimed she had consented.

A week before he was due to stand trial, Khan, who is married with four children, pleaded guilty to rape and theft.

In her victim impact statement, the woman labelled Khan ‘an utterly selfish and repugnant human being.’ His barrister, Michael Collins, said he had mental health difficulties that related to a tragic house fire when he was aged ten.

In a letter to the judge, Khan had expressed genuine remorse.

“He looks back with shame and misunderstanding at his own conduct,” Mr Collins said.

“He can’t help as to why he committed the offence.”

Recorder Nolan said that one consultant psychiatrist believed that Khan was feigning symptoms and exaggerating his behaviour.

He had shown ‘criminal guile’ in carrying out the offence and he had abused his position of trust as a taxi driver.

Khan will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and he will also have to comply with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Recorder Nolan also imposed a lifelong restraining order which bans Khan from having any contact with the complainant.

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A disgraced former Yorkshire cub scout leader is back in prison again after he admitted indecently assaulting a young boy in the 1990s - but for only 30 months.

Former Ilkley man Peter Francis, now 68, was given a life sentence in 2002 for a raft of serious sexual offences against boys and girls and while still serving that sentence he was given a further five-year jail term in 2014 for abusing another boy.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday (July 3) that Francis actually served a total of 18 years behind bars and it was his impending release by the Parole Board in 2020 which prompted another victim to report the “dark secret” he had been carrying for years.

 Read more: Two people injured after pensioner crashes Skoda into man, house and car in Lindley 

Francis was actually released by the Parole Board on July 1, 2020, but he was arrested the next day and the inquiry into the latest allegations was started.

The court heard that Francis, of Grattan Road, Bradford, pleaded guilty in May to four charges of indecent assault on the complainant, who was a young boy in the early 1990s, and cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Francis was initially interviewed about the allegations in July 2020, but his solicitor advocate Julian White said he had no recollection of the specific offending.

Mr White submitted that because his client had been out of prison for the last three years and the risk he posed was being properly monitored the judge could take an exceptional course and suspend his prison sentence.

But Judge Colin Burn said it was important not to lose sight in an extremely complex sentencing exercise of the fact that there was a victim in the case who had suffered significant psychological harm on a long-term basis.

He said Francis would have been jailed for 40 months following a trial, but his guilty pleas meant that sentence could be reduced to 30 months.

In his victim impact statement the complainant described the abuse he suffered decades ago as horrific and said it had changed him forever.

He said he had been carrying a “dark secret” and Francis’ actions had not allowed him to fulfilled his potential.

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A MAN has been jailed for 20 months for a drunken sexual assault on a woman.

Sergejs Litvins claimed he ‘misread the situation’ after downing alcohol, Bradford Crown Court heard.

His victim suffered flashbacks after the attack and had lost her confidence.

Litvins, 27, of Thackeray Road, Idle, Bradford, pleaded guilty to sexual assault.

The court heard he had touched the woman indecently.

In his basis of plea, Litvins said that with hindsight he should have realised how the woman felt and he was truly sorry.

Barrister Abdul Shakoor, for Litvins, said: "He is bitterly remorseful for his conduct.

“He can’t understand why he behaved in the way that he did. It’s a complete aberration in his life.”

Litvins broke down in tears as Recorder Tahir Khan KC told him that an immediate custodial sentence had to be passed for such serious offending.

The judge accepted that Litvins was remorseful and that the offending was out of character but he said a consequence of the attack had been that the woman no longer felt safe.

“Given the serious impact of your offending on the complainant, I can only impose a sentence of immediate custody,” he told a distressed Litvins.

Litvins will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the next ten years.

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A man from Bradford who had more than 1700 indecent images of children on his computer has been sentenced to more than three years in jail.

Julian Barnes 50, of Haycliffe Terrace pleaded guilty to seven charges all relating to indecent images of children. 

Bradford District’s Police Online Investigation Team launched an investigation when 17 indecent images were uploaded to a google account in March 2022. 

The IP address came back to Barnes home address and he was subsequently arrested, charged and remanded on 25 January 2023. 

Today (22nd June) he was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 45 months in jail. 

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he must sign on the sex offender register for life.  

Officer in the case PC Kate Davis of Bradford District’s Police Online Investigation team said: 

“Barnes was in possession of the most disturbing child abuse material at the time of his arrest. 

“His collection included more than 1700 images of the most serious category. Behind every picture there is a victim of child abuse. 

“We welcome the lengthy sentence today which reflects the seriousness of his offending. 

“We are committed to protecting victims of child sexual abuse. We will find those people responsible and bring them before the courts.”

Description

A former priest in North and West Yorkshire has been sentenced to a further eight and half years behind bars for sex offences against young boys.

David Leslie Crowley, 69, is already serving an 18 year sentence (extended by two years) at HMP Full Sutton for 13 similar offences committed between 1979 and 1985. Crowley appeared before Leeds Crown Court on Monday (June 19) and pleaded guilty to a further 15 offences.

The crimes took place between 1982 and 1993 when the defendant was a priest at St William’s RC Church in Bradford, Our Lady of Lourdes in Huddersfield and St Mary’s and St Michael’s RC church in Settle. There were five victims.

Crowley used his position of authority as a priest to groom the boys, taking them on day trips, plying them with gifts, alcohol and food, and visiting pubs. Some of the victims came forward as a result of media coverage of Crowley’s previous offending.

The abuse he suffered caused one victim to experience flashbacks and to attempt suicide as an adult and left another with drug and alcohol dependence. Graham Guest from the CPS said: “Crowley flagrantly abused his position of authority and trust within the communities he served to commit vile offences against young boys, leaving many of them with lifelong trauma.

“The true extent of his offending when he was in holy orders is now becoming clear. It is difficult to imagine a more appalling breach of trust and complete betrayal of the values of his priestly vocation. Our thoughts remain with his victims, as they have been throughout.”

In 1998 Crowley was given an 11-year sentence for 15 sex offences against young boys. The latest sentence will be served consecutively

Detective Inspector Oliver Coates, of Kirklees Child Safeguarding Unit, West Yorkshire Police, added: "This conviction follows a lengthy and comprehensive investigation by DC Moorhouse into the West Yorkshire offences. It ensures that this dangerous man will remain behind bars where he belongs.

"These offences were reported to the police many years after they occurred, and I hope the work that has been done to bring Crowley to justice shows that we will investigate historic offending. I would urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual offences, whether recent or non-recent, to report it. By doing so, we can ensure that you are supported and get the justice you deserve."

Description

A persistent sex offender who got away with his crimes against two young girls in Calderdale has finally been jailed after he went on to rape another child.

Daren Skillings, now 57, was interviewed by police almost a decade ago about his abuse of the first two complainants, but he denied any offending at the time and no further action was taken.

Prosecutor Jayne Beckett told Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday that the case was only reopened after Skillings, now of Sticker Lane, Bradford, was accused of abusing and raping a third young girl several years later.

One of Skillings’ first victims faced him in court and finally saw him jailed for 11 years. He was handed an additional extended licence period of one year, to be served at the end of the sentence.

Mrs Beckett read moving victim impact statements from all three complainants, who must not be identified for legal reasons, in which they described the nightmares, flashbacks and trauma they had suffered as a result of Skillings’ offending.

One of his first victims said she was sad it had taken years for her to get justice. She said: “I never got my justice when I first reported it...I wasn’t believed." She said the subsequent rape offence could have been prevented and she now hoped Skillings would never hurt anyone again.

The third victim said she suffered nightmares and flashbacks on a regular basis and every part of her life was difficult.

Skillings, who will now have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, pleaded guilty to the rape and abuse charges involving his most recent victim and was found guilty of abusing the two other complainants by a jury following a trial.

Catherine Silverton, for Skillings, said he had always accepted responsibility for the rape and was deeply ashamed and remorseful. She said he had been a hard-working man who appeared to have been a “functioning alcoholic”.

Jailing Skillings, Judge Armstrong said the victim statements made very moving reading. He said the original case had not been pursued nearer the time and it was only following the more recent matters that it had been resurrected.

Skillings will now have to serve two-thirds of his 11-year prison sentence and he will have to comply with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order when he is finally released on licence.