Rapist jailed and banned from Huddersfield for attacking teenage girl

A MAN who raped a teenage girl has been jailed for eight years and banned from Huddersfield indefinitely.

Fashad Ali, 28, was convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl from Crosland Moor and the judge said he was handing down a tough sentence as Ali’s not guilty verdict had forced his victim to give evidence.

Ali, of Hackford Close, Bolton, Lancashire, claimed he had been set up and pleaded not guilty.

But he was convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court and yesterday was sentenced by judge Shaun Spencer QC.

The court heard that Ali was known to have had sexual contact with the girl’s older sister and had visited her in Huddersfield.

But when she became incapacitated by alcohol he turned his attention to the younger sister and raped her.

Prosecuting barrister Ian Brook said the victim had been so distressed by the incident she had been unable to give a victim impact statement – a document used by the court to assess the seriousness of the crime.

Zoe Van Den Bosch, defending, said her client maintained his innocence but she admitted he had been convicted by DNA evidence.

Mrs Van Den Bosch said Ali also had a girlfriend and three-year-old son in Bolton, who had been forced to move out of their home. They were struggling to fend for themselves.

And she said her client’s Bolton girlfriend was expecting another child by Ali and would have to bring it up alone.

Judge Spencer said any chance of reducing Ali’s sentence had been lost by his refusal to admit his guilt. “You were convicted of raping a young girl,’’ he said. “At the time she was 15-years-old but she looked considerably younger and you were nearly twice her age. She had to give evidence and she was seriously distressed on a number of occasions.

“A guilty plea would have spared her that and that would have inclined me to discount your sentence.

“The fact is in cases of this nature the interests of the defendant come a long way behind the interests of the public and justice for the victim.”

Ali will serve half his eight-year sentence before being released on licence. He is subject to a sexual offences prevention order, which bans him from approaching or communicating with the victim or entering Huddersfield.