Man jailed for abducting girl, 13

AN Oldham man who abducted a schoolgirl with the intention of committing a sexual offence has been jailed for 12 months.

Ehsan Imran (22) had exchanged text messages with the 13-year-old, and despite refusing to sleep with her until she turned 16, suggested she commit a sex act on him the next time they met.

In the early hours of June 11, last year, Imran was in the back of a car driven by his friend Mohammed Sajid (24) when they were flagged down in Oldham by the girl and her friend asking for a lift to a video shop.

But the pair were stopped by officers who had been alerted by the girls’ parents that they were missing.

Imran, of Derby Street, claimed he believed the girl was 16 — even though text messages showed he knew she was underage.

He admitted abducting a child and committing an offence with the intention of committing a sexual offence.

Father-of-two Sajid, of Chester Street, Oldham, told officers he had the girl’s number saved in his phone but had deleted it because she was “too young.”

He was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work with £1,000 costs after he admitted abducting a child at a previous hearing.

Sentencing the pair at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, on Friday, Judge Leslie Hull highlighted a surge in “runaway” underage girls being picked up in Oldham and Ashton, and praised Greater Manchester Police’s success in tackling the issue.

He said: “The young girl at the heart of this case was aged just 13-and-a-half years at the time.

“She was previously known to both of you, but to what extent is unclear.”

Judge Hull said there was no evidence to disprove it was a chance encounter, nor that they had been taken against their will.

He said: “All of the evidence was that she went more than willingly with you, but the offence of child abduction is made out against you because she was underage and you both knew that.”

Defending Imran, Rochelle Simpson, said her client, who managed a car-washing business, accepted responsibility for his actions.

She added: “It is clear that the girl was not under any pressure from him, and not only was she a consenting party but she was in fact initiating contact with the defendant.”

Michael Leeming, defending Sajid, told the court that Sajid was a hardworking family man who was on call 24-hours-a-day as a tyre fitter.

He recognised that he should not have picked the girl up in his car because he was unsure of her age.