Sex Offender’s Jail Term Slashed by Half on Appeal
Ahmed, born Nazir Ahmed, was originally locked up for five years and six months at Sheffield Crown Court for trying to rape a young girl and sexually assaulting a boy under 11. But his sentence has now been slashed to just two years and six months by top Appeal Court judges.
Judges Slam Original Sentencing as a ‘Mistake’
Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, along with Lord Justice Holroyde and Lord Justice Davis, ruled the original trial judge made a “clear error” by ignoring Ahmed’s age at the time of the crimes. The trio said Ahmed was still a child when he committed the offences, and that should have been factored into the sentence. Their decision came after a January appeal hearing.
Horrific Crimes in Rotherham
Ahmed, then aged 16 or 17, tried to rape a girl on two separate occasions. The assaults, which took place in Rotherham, also included a serious sexual attack on a boy under 11. Ahmed was convicted on two counts of attempted rape and one count of serious sexual assault.
- Original sentence: 2 years for each rape attempt (to run concurrently)
- Plus 3 years and 6 months for assaulting the boy
Judge’s New Ruling: Jail Time Too Harsh for Assault on Boy
The Appeal Court judges said if Ahmed had been sentenced right after attacking the boy — when he was 14 and had no previous convictions — a six-month custodial sentence would have sufficed. However, they stood by the tougher sentences for the attempted rapes, describing them as “offences committed by a young person against a very young victim.”
