Latest Offenders Stirlingshire

Description

A man who raped a 15-year-old girl after following her on a street in Stirlingshire has been jailed for nine years.

Sadeq Nikzad, 29, targeted the girl in Falkirk town centre in October 2023.

Nikzad, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, repeatedly requested her telephone number, uttered sexual remarks then led her into a courtyard where he raped her.

At the High Court in Livingston, Judge Morris told him it was an "extremely serious sexual offence" and said he would be deported after his sentence.

The court heard that Nikzad had entered the UK illegally two years before the attack.

Defence counsel Janice Green told the court there were language difficulties and a "cultural barrier" between Nikzad's home country where child marriage was common.

She said: "I'm not suggesting that means that he reasonably believed (the complainer) was consenting, but that there's a reason why he could have misunderstood."

Harrowing attack

Passing sentence, Judge Morris said: "I appreciate that you don't accept that you've done anything wrong, but the fact remains that you've been convicted of an extremely serious sexual offence against a child.

"I know your counsel has now explained to you that in those circumstances only a substantial custodial sentence is appropriate."

Police Scotland's Det Insp Forbes Wilson said it was "a particularly harrowing attack carried out during daylight in a busy town centre".

He said: "Nikzad's heinous actions had a profound effect on his young victim and I would like to commend her strength throughout this ordeal."

After his jail term Nikzad will be supervised on license for three years.

A non-harassment order banning Nikzad from contacting or attempting to contact the victim was also granted indefinitely.

Description

A GIFTED schoolboy musician walked scot-free from court despite admitting sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in classroom cupboard. Karl Henderson, 17, described as the most talented musician his school has ever seen, molested the girl at a Stirlingshire high school by touching her bottom and breasts, trying to kiss her and touching himself while holding her against him. Despite pleading guilty to the charge on indictment, Henderson, who was 16 at the time of the assault last year, told police that it was consensual. Sheriff John Mundy took what he called the exceptional step of handing Henderson an absolute discharge, saying he found it hard to determine what actually happened. The decision prompted an angry reaction from the family of the girl, who shouted, dont be molesting any more children as Henderson left the dock at Falkirk Sheriff Court. The incident occurred on January 14 2013 when Henderson and the girl went to a music classroom during one of their lessons. Police detained Henderson on January 16 where he said everything was consensual and denied holding her against her will. Forensic examination showed traces of his semen on her skirt. The girl told police that she had been having nightmares over the incident. Henderson, of Grahamshill Terrace, Fankerton, Denny, Stirlingshire, pleaded guilty to the charges. Gordon Addison, defending, said that despite the girl being 15, there was only six months between the pair in age. He said: No school in the local area will take him if he is placed on the sex offenders register. This young man is highly intelligent but his whole life will be disturbed unfairly. Society loses a very talented, very bright young man over a situation that happened in minutes between two teens in a high school cupboard. He has been described as the most talented musician the school has ever had. Sheriff Mundy told Henderson: Im going to take a highly unusual step in the circumstances, I think its an exceptional case. It is one that is brought on indictment which makes it more exceptional. Im going to give you an absolute discharge. Henderson was not placed on the sex offenders register.