A leading judge has come under fire over comments made in the case of sex attacks on Asian girls.
Child molester Jamal Muhammed Raheem Ul Nasir was given a longer sentence because his victims were Asian, the Appeal Court was told.
But the comments by Judge Sally Cahill and supported by Mr Justice Walker have been condemned by many, including campaigners within the Asian community.
Tanweer Khan, who chairs the Pakistani Anti-Grooming and Abuse League, labelled the comments “discriminatory”.
Ul Nasir, 32, of Liversedge, lost his appeal against a seven-year sentence for sex assaults on two young girls.
Judge Cahill had said the fact the girls were Asian was an “aggravating feature”.
But Mr Khan said: “Child sexual abuse is a global problem, with 1 in 4 girls being subjected to sexual abuse before the age of 18, and over 90% of the time the abuser is a person that is highly trusted by the victim. That said, when it comes to sentencing of these heinous criminals, judges must be impartial and consistent.
“Whilst it may be the case that on a personal level girls from Asian backgrounds may have the stigma attached to them for being victims of abuse, and as such may become ostracised in the community or may struggle to get married, the state must not under any circumstance whatsoever discriminate in any way, shape or form when it comes to sentencing the paedophiles.
“Why judges see fit to bestow harsher sentences to those that abuse girls from Asian backgrounds is mind-boggling to say the least; and in fact totally counter-productive in our view. A paedophile abuses a girl for his own depravity and sexual gratification; he doesn’t really care what background the victim comes from.
“One thing this ruling does is it sends a very clear message to paedophiles that if they abuse non-Asian girls, the penalties will not be as severe. In our opinion, that decision is totally discriminatory, and does not provide the appropriate level of justice to non-Asian girls.
“By bifurcating between Asian and non-Asian girls, the UK is heading down an extremely slippery slope. Next you will see judges factoring in whether the girl is Muslim, Jewish, Christian, or whether she lives in a council high-rise, a semi-detached suburban house or in a country mansion.”
The comments have also been criticised by the children’s charity, the NSPCC.
A spokesman said: “British justice should operate on a level playing field and children need to be respected regardless of cultural differences.
“Regardless of race, religion or gender, every child deserves the right to be safe and protected from sexual abuse, and the courts must reflect this”.
