'Unduly lenient' sentences for abusers increased

Three men who sexually abused a vulnerable girl have had their prison terms increased after they were found to be "unduly lenient".

Ibrar Hussain, 47, and brothers Imtiaz and Fayaz Ahmed, aged 62 and 45, were convicted of raping a girl in Keighley in the 1990s when she was aged 13 or 14.

In January, Hussain was jailed for six and a half years, Imtiaz Ahmed for nine years and Fayaz Ahmed given seven and a half years.

The Solicitor General referred the case to the Court of Appeal, with Hussain and Fayaz Ahmed's sentences increased to 10 years and Imtiaz Ahmed's term to 11 years.

During their trial, the court heard the victim moved to Keighley in the early 1990s and met the men, with the girl given money, drugs and alcohol in return for sex.

Hussain and Fayaz Ahmed were 18 and 17 at the time, while Imtiaz Ahmed was in his 30s.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said she still suffered flashbacks and the trauma left her unable to trust people, including the services there to protect her.

Imtiaz and Fayaz Ahmed are believed to have absconded to Pakistan in 2023 and were sentenced in absentia.

Following their sentencing, Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore contacted the Attorney General to complain about the sentences.

The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said she had agreed with Moore and referred the sentences as they were "unduly lenient".

"This case involved the shocking and hideous abuse of a vulnerable teenager by these three sexual predators," she said.

"I attended court today for the hearing and I very much welcome the Court of Appeal's significant increases to these sentences."

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