Wakefield pervert said 'cultural barriers' led him to invite underage girl into sex
A paedophile who tried to meet an underage girl for sex, later denied wrongdoing and claimed confusing “cultural barriers” were to blame.
The youngster was a decoy profile set up by an online hunter group, who turned up to confront Ali Irshad when he arranged to meet the supposed youngster.
He had previously explicit messages talking about his sexual fantasies with her.
The 28-year-old was jailed after being convicted of attempting to meet a child after grooming and attempted sexual communication with a child following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
The court heard that Irshad was from Pakistan, was well educated and had a job in a bank before being enticed by his family to move to England.
He joined a dating app to “make friends” he claimed, but then targeted what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
Between May and June last year he “deliberately preyed upon her age”, Judge Robin Mairs said.
Despite the profile making it clear she was a schoolgirl, he called her “cute”, that he loved her and made sexual remarks.
They made plans for her to visit Wakefield and when he turned up at the meeting spot, Irshad was met by the hunter group who livestreamed the confrontation over the internet.
Irshad, of Denstone Street, Wakefield, admitted to them on camera that he knew she was underage, apologised and pleaded not to be reported to police.
Despite this, he then entered not-guilty pleas. Judge Mairs told him: “This demonstrates to me there’s no remorse on your part.
“You tried to get away with it then and in front of the jury.”
Mitigating, Imran Khan claimed there had been “cultural barriers” that Irshad was “not aware of”.
But this was rubbished by Judge Mairs, who said: “You make a claim of cultural barriers, but they played no part in this offending.
“You believed she was a child and you know sexual contact with children was illegal, but you deliberately preyed upon her vulnerability.”
He added: “You knew full well that a sexual relationship was illegal because you told her she must keep it a secret.
“The reason you wanted her to come to Wakefield was to fulfil your sexual desires. The fact you believed she was a child was no barrier to that.”
He jailed him for 21 months and told him: “There’s nothing constructive that can be done with you in terms of rehabilitation because you will not accept what you have done.”
He was put on the sex offender register for 10 years and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).