DEWSBURY MAN SENTENCED FOR RAPE AND SMUGGLING DRUGS INTO PRISON
Fahim Iqbal, 28, from Dewsbury, was found guilty of aiding and abetting a rape.He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
The court heard that Iqbal had twice been caught with a mobile phone in prison while serving a previous sentence.
His barrister, Andrew Dallas, explained that Iqbal was attending court daily for the trial and was sitting in the dock with people on bail.
The defense claimed he was promised cannabis in exchange for his cooperation, describing the enterprise as 'highly risky and ill-thought out.' The judge, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, described Iqbal's actions as 'stupid behaviour by someone who was very stressed at the time' and said they were 'an appalling distraction during the trial.' Iqbal was additionally sentenced to five months for attempting to smuggle drugs and mobile phones into HMP Leeds, which was part of a conspiracy charge.
The incident involved hiding items such as Subutex tablets, cannabis resin, skunk cannabis, mobile phones, and tobacco in a toilet roll dispenser and beneath a chair.
Iqbal and co-accused Nadeem Akhtar were caught when a custody officer checked the toilet behind the courtroom dock, discovering the hidden items.
Both men were subsequently convicted and sentenced for the contraband offenses, with Akhtar receiving a 17-year sentence for rape.
Iqbal's previous record included being caught twice with a mobile phone in prison before the current offenses.
