Hafez Ashraf Uddin, 71, from Wivenhoe Road, Barking, was convicted on June 5 of 13 counts of indecent assault against six girls aged between seven and 14. The former teacher carried out the assaults while working in Ipswich from 1985 to 1999.
He appeared at Ipswich Crown Court last Friday (November 21), where he was sentenced to 12 years behind bars. Alongside the prison term, Uddin must sign the sex offenders’ register for life and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
Shocking Abuse Spanning Over a Decade
Uddin faced 22 charges of indecent assault involving seven girls but was found guilty of 13 and acquitted of nine. His crimes involved placing his hand inside a victim’s trousers and repeatedly touching or squeezing young girls’ breasts.
Police Praise Victims for Bravery
“Hafez Ashraf Uddin abused the respected position of trust that he held in the community and subjected these young girls to shocking assaults – some of them on multiple occasions,” said Detective Inspector Donna Hopper of the South Safeguarding Investigation Unit.
“These assaults have had long-lasting impacts on the victims, who did not feel able or confident to report them at the time for a number of reasons.
I want to pay tribute to them for their bravery in coming forward and reporting his offences, even though they had occurred many years previously.
I hope this case demonstrates that despite the passage of time, it is never too late to achieve justice. We want victims to know that they will be heard and that we will investigate wherever it is possible for us to do so.
No doubt Uddin thought he had got away with his appalling crimes, but he hadn’t counted on the resilience of the victims to speak out and ensure he was made to answer for his actions. He will now spend a significant amount of the remaining years of his life in prison.”
Report Abuse Confidentially
Suffolk Police urge anyone with information or additional reports to contact the South Safeguarding Investigation Unit by calling 101. Quote Operation Picton and reference number 37/CJ/667/18.
