Latest Offenders Bradford

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A drug-fuelled rapist who tricked his way into a vulnerable 63-year-old womans home and subjected her to a degrading attack has been jailed for five years and four months. Thomas Ullah, 22, sat hunched in the dock at Bradford Crown Court with his head in his hands as his barrister described the assault as awful, degrading and distressing. Ullah, of Fairhaven Green, Idle, Bradford, pleaded guilty to raping the woman on August 8, a fortnight after his release from a 15-month prison sentence for supplying class A drugs. Prosecutor Richard Smith said Ullahs victim, who was not known to him, was preyed on by local youths who used her Bradford home to smoke cannabis. They ate her food, took money and dossed down uninvited. Mr Smith said Ullah was not among that group but he had friends who were. The woman lived alone and suffered from depression, the court was told yesterday. She had fallen asleep after watching TV when Ullah knocked on the door at 1.15am. He had earlier exposed himself in front of CCTV cameras while out in Bradford, Mr Smith said. Ullah told his victim he was called Joe and tricked his way in by claiming that a man she knew was on his way over. He told her he had taken cocaine and M-cat and had just come out of prison. Mr Smith said Ullah dragged the woman into the hall, kicked open her bedroom door and threw her into the room. He stripped her naked and raped her on the bed, threatening: Scream bitch and youre dead. Afterwards, the woman was shaking with fear. She told the police she felt like a piece of scum. The woman had bruised arms and legs and Ullah was linked to her by DNA evidence. His barrister, Jayne Beckett, said he had taken a cocktail of drugs and alcohol. He was sickened to the core by what he had done and struggling to come to terms with it. Judge David Hatton QC said Ullahs victim was devastated and her life would never be the same. After the case, Detective Inspector Ian Lawrance, of Operation Topaz, West Yorkshire Polices rape investigation unit, said: Ullah took advantage of a vulnerable member of the community in the worst possible way. He reached the depth of depravity in his actions and I am extremely pleased to see he will now spend some considerable time behind bars. Ullahs victim, who was in court, said she was upset and devastated that the sentence was not longer.

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A pervert primary school teacher has been jailed for three years for indecently assaulting girls at his school, all aged just eight and nine years old.

At the time of the offences, he put one of his young victims in the dunces corner after the school disbelieved her claims of abuse, a court heard.

Bearded Graham Nichols, 62, indecently assaulted five girls at St Annes Catholic Primary in Keighley, where he taught from the 1970s to 1980.

Prosecutor Judith Naylor yesterday told Bradford Crown Court that two of the girls had complained about his behaviour at the time but the headmistress, a Sister Eugenie, did not believe them and Nichols placed one of them at the dunces table.

Nichols, of Storr Hill, Wyke, Bradford, had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to ten charges of indecent assault and one of gross indecency with a child.

He was told by Judge James Stewart QC: You abused your position as a teacher, a position of trust. You were looking after these children who were entitled to look up to you. When one complained, you denied it and had her put in the dunces corner.

A further offence of indecent assault was taken into consideration after another woman came forward, following publicity in the Telegraph & Argus, to say she had been abused by Nichols at St Columbas School in Bradford.

Mrs Naylor said Nichols indecently touched the girls as they stood next to him for reading or to have their work marked.

On one occasion he asked one girl to stay behind at lunchtime. He took her to the book corner, asked her to lie on the floor and expose herself and committed a sex act in front of her.

Nichols left St Annes and became a supply teacher in the Bradford area. The offences came to light many years later when one of the victims was taking a child protection course as she trained to be a nursery nurse and thought about what had happened to her.

When he was arrested Nichols, who had no previous convictions, made admissions to police and said he had committed the offences out of curiosity as his knowledge of girls was very limited.

Michael Reeves, representing Nichols, said he was not a predatory paedophile and was suffering from a personality disorder at the time of the offences.

Judge Stewart said the offences were not the most serious, though the act of gross indecency was nasty.

He ordered that Nichols register as a sex offender indefinitely and made a Sexual Offences Prevention Order to stop him having unsupervised contact with children under 16.

After the case, Detective Sergeant Stephen Hanson, of West Yorkshire Polices Child and Public Protection Unit, said: Primary school years are supposed to be the happiest of a persons life, but these women have been traumatised by the actions of Nichols.

We would like to commend the bravery of the ladies who have come forward to help us bring Nichols to justice.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds was asked for a comment by the T&A, but did not respond.