Jail Term Slashed for Child Sex Offender After Appeal
Sentence Cut in Half
Ahmed, born Nazir Ahmed, was originally handed five and a half years in jail at Sheffield Crown Court in February 2022. He had been convicted of attempting to rape a young girl and sexually assaulting a boy under 11. But after an appeal, three senior judges slashed his sentence to just two years and six months.
Judges Find Sentencing Error
The reduction came after Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, Lord Justice Holroyde, and Lord Justice William Davis ruled the initial sentence was flawed. They said the trial judge, Mr Justice Lavender, “fell into error” by not properly considering Ahmed’s age when the crimes happened. The offences occurred when Ahmed was still a child himself. The hearing took place in London last January.
Details of the Crimes
- The abuse happened in Rotherham.
- Ahmed tried to rape the girl twice when he was aged 16 or 17, while she was much younger.
- He also sexually assaulted a boy during the same time period.
- He was found guilty of two attempted rapes and a serious sexual assault on a boy.
Originally, Ahmed received two years for the attempted rapes, served concurrently, plus three and a half years for assaulting the boy.
Judges’ Rationale for Cutting Sentence
The judges stated that if Ahmed had been sentenced shortly after assaulting the boy, he would have been just 14, a child with no prior convictions. In that case, a six-month custodial sentence “would probably have been regarded as a suitable penalty.”
However, the judges stood by the tougher sentences for the attempted rapes, highlighting they were committed by a teenager “against a very young victim.”
