Man jailed for sex assault on girl

A MAN with serious mental health problems who sexually assaulted a vulnerable young girl, has been jailed for six years.

Hafiz Mahmood (28) abused the six-year-old youngster over two weeks, Manchester Crown Court was told.

Mahmood, of Copster Hill Road, Oldham, pleaded guilty to four offences against the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on the day he was due to stand trial.

After his arrest he maintained to police officers that allegations by the girl were all lies, insisting someone had “put her up to it.” He told officers he didn’t like women.

The court was told that Mahmood had been diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and had behavioural problems, including difficulties in communicating and coherent thinking. He is said to have a particularly low IQ.

Robert Lancaster, defending, said that at the time of the offences, his client had been at possibly the lowest point of his life.

Judge Greene told Mahmood his offending had been “opportunistic” and had been so serious that only immediate custody could be justified.

He said the girl had been extremely vulnerable, and an aggravating factor was that Mahmood had a previous conviction for a sexual assault on a woman in the street.

He was sentenced to six years for the most serious offence of assault by penetration, three years concurrent on each of two offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and 12 months concurrent for sexual activity with a child under 13.

Mahmood, who sat with head bowed in the dock during his sentencing, was told he will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.