Imran Ahmad Khan 50

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An MP has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy at a house in Staffordshire in 2008.

Imran Ahmad Khan, 48, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court.

The court heard the MP for Wakefield in West Yorkshire forced the boy to drink gin and tonic at a party before dragging the teenager upstairs, pushing him onto a bed and then asking him to watch pornography before the attack.

The victim, now 29, told a jury he felt "scared, vulnerable, numb, shocked and surprised" after Khan touched his feet and legs. He said the MP came within "a hair's breadth" of his privates as he tried to sleep in a top bunkbed.

He ran to his parents and a police report was made at the time, but no further action was taken because the youngster did not want to make a formal complaint.

But he told jurors "it all came flooding back" when Khan stood as a Conservative in the December 2019 general election.

He said he was not "taken very seriously" when he made the allegation to the Conservative Party press office days before Khan was elected as MP for Wakefield in the December 2019 general election.

He made a complaint to the police days after Khan helped Prime Minister Boris Johnson win a large Commons majority by taking Wakefield.

Khan was sent a questionnaire by Staffordshire Police rather than being interviewed under caution at the station because of "COVID protocols in place at the time".

The MP, who is gay and Muslim, denied sexual assault and claimed he only touched the Catholic teenager's elbow when he "became extremely upset" after a conversation about his confused sexuality.

Khan, then 34, said he was trying to be "kind" and "helpful" but the teenager became upset and "bolted" when the topic of pornography was raised.

The MP, who has been expelled from the Conservative Party, was found guilty by a jury after five hours of deliberations.

The judge, Mr Justice Baker, will sentence Khan at a later date.

Releasing Khan on bail, he told him: "You have been convicted by a jury of this offence of sexual assault and you will have to be sentenced in due course.

"I make it clear that all sentencing options, including immediate custody, are being considered by the court."

The firm representing Khan, Janes Solicitors, said the MP "maintains his innocence" and "will be appealing as soon as possible".

Labour called for Khan's immediate resignation as an MP, with a spokesperson saying: "Imran Ahmad Khan should immediately resign so a by-election can take place and the people of Wakefield can get the representation they deserve."

Tory MP Crispin Blunt said he was "utterly appalled and distraught at the dreadful miscarriage of justice that has befallen my friend and colleague".

In a statement, he said: "His conviction today is nothing short of an international scandal, with dreadful wider implications for millions of LGBT+ Muslims around the world."