Sajjad Akram n/a

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A SINISTER child molester freed on parole took youngsters on car rides after hiding his past.

A SINISTER child molester freed on parole took youngsters on car rides after hiding his past.

Sleazy landlord Sajjad Akram was given three years behind bars in 2007 for a serious sex offence against a teenage boy in an Eldon Square car park in Newcastle.

He was released a little over a year later in October 2008 with strict licence conditions designed to keep other youngsters from his clutches.

But Akram flouted those restrictions to take three different children for trips in his Ford Focus.

He only asked permission from their parents before one outing to a McDonalds, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

And none of the mums or dads knew Akrams disturbing past, said Robert Adams, prosecuting.

A pre-sentence report written by a specialist probation officer warned: Despite being subject to licence conditions, attending a sex offender group work programme, and being regularly monitored by police and probation, Akram has chosen to engage in risk-taking behaviour which he has concealed and sought unsupervised contact with children without their parents knowledge or consent.

Jailing Akram, formerly of Hartington Street, Elswick, in the citys West End, for two years, Judge Brian Forster said: These are serious offences.

You became known to a number of children who lived in the area where you owned a property.

The children were aged eight, nine and 11 and you choose to keep their company and take them for rides.

Akram, who had been living in an approved hostel after his prison release, admitted three charges of child abudctuion.

None of the children concerned were touched or molested during any of the trips, the court heard.

But Akrams record including not just the Eldon Square offence but an earlier indecent assault on a schoolboy in 1999 made police concerned for the youngsters safety, Mr Adams said.

Clearly, he has a worrying and significant offending history, Mr Adams added.

All of the latest offences happened during the school summer holiday last year and only came to light when hostel staff spotted a child in Ackrams Ford Focus.

Fortunately no harm whatsoever came to any of those children, said Joe Hedworth, defending.

It appears they voluntarily got into the car and got out without incident.

Akram, already registered as a sex offender for life, was also made subject to a 10-year sexual offences prevention order to keep him away from children.

You must understand the order requires you to avoid contact with children and young persons without a reasonable excuse, Judge Forster said.

If you breach the terms you will end up staying even longer in prison.