West Yorkshire paedophile enticed victim with free ice creams before sex assault at Halifax Piece Hall

A paedophile who used free ice creams to entice a victim into performing sex acts on him in the toilets of a West Yorkshire heritage building has been jailed.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Arthur Malaj, 37, was given a three-and-half-year sentence this week after a jury found him guilty of causing a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity. The vendor had been working at the Piece Hall, in Halifax, when he persuaded the teenager to perform sex acts on him in its bathrooms at least three times.

And Recorder Simon Kealey KC said Malaj provided free ice cream to his victim and had given back more change than necessary before discussing sexual topics. The offending dated back to 2011 when Malaj was in his mid-20s and working at the grade I listed attraction - lauded as Yorkshire’s “most important secular building”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But the married man’s crimes were not reported to the police until 2018, and when Malaj was finally interviewed, he denied knowing his victim. Recorder Kealey said it was absolutely clear from her impact statement that the abuse his victim suffered had a very significant effect on her.

A paedophile who used free ice creams to entice a victim into performing sex acts on him in the toilets of the heritage building where he worked has been jailed. Arthur Malaj, 37, was given a three-and-half-year sentence yesterday.A paedophile who used free ice creams to entice a victim into performing sex acts on him in the toilets of the heritage building where he worked has been jailed. Arthur Malaj, 37, was given a three-and-half-year sentence yesterday.
A paedophile who used free ice creams to entice a victim into performing sex acts on him in the toilets of the heritage building where he worked has been jailed. Arthur Malaj, 37, was given a three-and-half-year sentence yesterday.

He told Malaj over a prison video link to HMP Leeds: “In my judgement, there was an element of grooming.” But he said he took into account the fact that Malaj had no previous convictions and there had been no further offending for more than a decade.

The court heard that the defendant was set to be sentenced in August, but his barrister, Danielle Graham, said he had “panicked” when it all became too much for him. He then went on the run and was wanted by police on a warrant for almost a month.

However, prosecuting barrister Michael Smith submitted that it had been a deliberate attempt to delay justice by effectively walking out of the sentencing hearing. Recorder Kealey agreed and added a further four weeks in custody onto Malaj's sentence - for breaching his bail by leaving the court in August.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “This was in my judgement a deliberate attempt to evade or delay justice. It involved you attending court and then leaving the court before sentence took place and it has had a significant impact.

“The complainant was able to attend on that occasion and she’s now had to wait a significant time and cannot now see this case to a conclusion.”

Malaj, of Range Lane, Halifax, will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life. He will also be subject to an indefinite restraining order that prevents him from having any contact with the complainant in the future.