Girl abused for years by paedophile tells court: 'I want my life back'
Sex offender was described as “arrogant” in court
A young woman who was abused from a young age has told a court that she “wants her life back” as her attacker was finally jailed.
Fiaz Ali spent years touching and groping the girl, Leeds Crown Court was told.
The 54-year-old was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault after a trial. The abuse took place in Wakefield.
In a victim impact statement, read out by prosecutor Ayman Khokhar, she said: “I was so young when the abuse began that I did not understand right from wrong but I knew it should not have been happening.
“I could not tell anyone because it would have made it real and I was frightened to what he could have done next.
“I want my life back. I do not want to be the sad, drained victim anymore.”
It was heard she had suicidal thoughts, had self harmed and it had significantly affected her life.
Mitigating, Rodney Ferm said Ali had prepared himself for prison, but conceded he was restricted in what could be said, given that he continues to deny the offences.
He said that despite having eight previous convictions, Ali, of Thorn Street, Bradford, had no previous sexual offences to his name and there had been no offending since.
Judge Christopher Batty told Ali: “You were sexually attracted to her and you made that perfectly clear.”
He said he “tested the water” by touching the girl that “made her life a misery”.
He progressed to groping her over her clothing on multiple occasions. Judge Batty described it as “insidious touching”.
He told him: “It was sexual. What other reason could it be?
“Because of your arrogance and total disregard of her feelings, you did it more and more.”
He jailed him for a total of four-and-a-half years. He was put on the sex offender register for life, and also given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).