MAN JAILED AFTER ASKING CHILD FOR SEX ACT
A shop employee who promised a teenage girl a vape in exchange for a sexual act has been sentenced to prison.Aqib Mahmood, 28, from Accrington, was working at his father's store in Warrington when he attempted to solicit sex from a 14-year-old girl.
The girl and her friend visited the shop on October 31, 2023.
During their visit, Mahmood asked about their ages and told them they could return later if they wished.
A few weeks afterward, they came back to purchase a vape, which Mahmood refused to sell.
During their interaction, one girl asked how she could obtain the vape, and Mahmood replied she could "suck him off." Two days later, the girl returned again to buy a vape.
Mahmood told her that if she performed oral sex, he would give her the vape.
She declined but agreed to give him a hug when he asked.
During the embrace, he placed his hands on her buttocks and squeezed.
The girls informed their parents about the incidents.
Mahmood was subsequently arrested and released on bail.
While on bail, he committed another offence by telling a 15-year-old girl that she would need to "do something for the cannabis" if she wanted some.
He also placed his hand on his crotch and told her, "I want you to make me hard," though she did not agree.
During court proceedings, Emma Kehoe, representing Mahmood, explained he had been under physical and mental stress at the time, resorting to cannabis and alcohol.
She said he "fell into a spiral" which led to his wrongful actions and expressed that he was remorseful and struggling to understand why he acted as he did.
Initially, Mahmood pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including causing or inciting sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 and sexual assault.
He changed his plea to guilty shortly before the victims were due to testify.
Judge Daniel Prowse acknowledged Mahmood's sexual attraction to teenage girls and the risk he presented to children, noting some remorse from him but also recognizing that such remorse is common among offenders.
He was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment.
Additionally, a sexual harm prevention order was imposed for 20 years, and Mahmood will be subject to lifetime sex offender notification requirements.
