Ahmed was pictured in front of a courtroom today, accused of sexual offenses against a boy or a girl
Nazir Ahmed, a former Labour peer has been found guilty for attempting to rape and assaulting a child under eleven in 1970s.
Ahmed was previously Lord Ahmed of Rotherham and was found guilty today of sexual offenses against a boy, and girl, dating back over 40 years.
A woman told a jury at Sheffield Crown Court that Ahmed, now 64, had attempted to rape her in the early 1970s, when the defendant was about 16 or 17 years old but she was much younger.
A serious sexual assault on a child under 11 years old was also committed by the former politician, also in 1970s.
After she was referred to police by her in 2016, a recorded telephone call between them was presented to the jury.
Tom Little QC (prosecutor) told the jury the call stemmed from the man reaching out to the woman through email, saying that he had evidence against the paedophile.
Ahmed denied the allegations, but was found guilty Wednesday on two counts of attempted and serious sexual assault.
After reading the conduct committee report, which revealed that he had sexually assaulted vulnerable women who asked for his assistance, the former Labour peer quit the House of Lords in Nov 2020
He was the first peer to receive a recommendation for expulsion, but he quit before it could be done.
Ahmed, along with two of his older brothers Mohammed Farouq (71) and Mohammed Tariq (65), were charged. However, both men were found unfit for trial.
Sheffield Crown Court jury heard from a woman that Ahmed tried to rape her when she was 16-17 years old. She was actually much younger.
Farouq, Tariq were charged with indecent assault for the abuse of Ahmed’s boy. The jury also found them guilty on Wednesday.
He will make the decision on Wednesday afternoon as to when Ahmed will go to prison.
Ahmed was convicted after a long and tortuous trial that included the suspension of an earlier trial by a judge who resentfully criticized the validity of the accusations.
Judge Jeremy Richardson QC stated that his March stoppage of the original trial was because he failed to disclose evidence which had’sabotaged the proceedings’ rather than misgivings over the amount time that had elapsed.
Judge Richardson noted at a previous hearing that certain of the alleged incidents occurred in late 1960s, when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, Lyndon Johnson was President, and Vietnam War was in full swing.
The judge ordered a temporary stay of proceedings in March, which brought an end to the prosecution.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service appealed against the decision. The Court of Appeal overturned it in June and opened the doors to a fresh trial.
Rosemary Ainslie was the CPS special crimes division head.
“These verdicts clearly show that regardless of how long the prosecution took to bring the charges and what defenses were brought, the jury could make sure the victims’ accounts are credible and truthful.
“One of the defendants was in a position of influence, power and responsibility during a period of time at the House of Lords. However, this case shows that where sufficient evidence is available, even for challenging cases, CPS can bring a prosecution and present evidence to a jury in order to obtain the rightful convictions.
Ms Ainslie said that the case gives insight into how police and prosecutors deal with large amounts of information from investigations and disclose it to defense to ensure fair trials.
“Disclosure Failures” should never happen.
“But the case also demonstrates our determination to admit mistakes, overcome them, and continue the case. The court’s capacity to ensure that defendants receive fair trials and victims are treated fairly.