The incidents began in 1989, when the victim was around six years old. Shahid Walayat, who was around 16 at the time, began abusing the girl by touching her inappropriately at a house in Wakefield. The abuse stopped prior to 1992, and the victim did not see Walayat again following his conviction for the murder of Julia Baines in 1993, where he was sentenced to life in prison. He was released in 2018. The victim reported the incident to West Yorkshire Police in 2018. Walayat, now 48, of Thornton Street, Dewsbury, was found guilty of four counts of Indecent Assault and one count of Indecency with a Child at Leeds Crown Court yesterday (8 December 2021), following a unanimous vote and was sentenced to 6 years in prison. He was issued with an indefinite Restraining Order against the victim. West Yorkshire Police Detective Sue Marshall said: “Walayat is a dangerous sexual predator and assaulted his victim when she was a defenceless child. “The victim was very courageous to come forward and report what he had done, especially due to cultural barriers, to seek justice for what he had done to her and we are pleased to see he will now face the consequences of his actions, a crime he thought he would be able to get away with. We hope this sentence brings our victim closure. “We are here and ready to listen to anyone who would like to report offences of this nature. We will support you every step of the way and ensure that we investigate thoroughly and leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
