IMRAN AHMAD KHAN, MP FOR WAKEFIELD, CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN STAFFORDSHIRE
An MP has been convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy at a house in Staffordshire in 2008.Imran Ahmad Khan, aged 48, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court.
The court heard that Khan, the MP for Wakefield in West Yorkshire, forced the teenager to drink gin and tonic at a party before dragging him upstairs, pushing him onto a bed, and asking him to watch pornography prior to the assault.
The victim, now 29, testified that he felt "scared, vulnerable, numb, shocked and surprised" when Khan touched his feet and legs.
He described how Khan came within "a hair’s breadth" of his private parts as he tried to sleep in a top bunk bed.
The boy ran to his parents afterwards, and a police report was filed at the time.
However, no further action was taken because the teenager did not want to make a formal complaint.
The victim also told jurors that "it all came flooding back" when Khan stood as a Conservative candidate in the December 2019 general election.
He stated he was not taken very seriously when he initially informed the Conservative Party press office about the allegations just days before Khan was elected as MP for Wakefield.
A few days after Khan helped Prime Minister Boris Johnson secure a large majority in Parliament by taking Wakefield, the young man made a formal complaint to the police.
Staffordshire Police sent Khan a questionnaire instead of interviewing him under caution due to "COVID protocols in place at the time".
Khan, who is gay and Muslim, denied the sexual assault allegations, claiming he only touched the teenager’s elbow when the boy became upset after they discussed his confused sexuality.
The MP, then 34, explained he was attempting to be "kind" and "helpful," but the teenager reportedly became distressed and "bolted" when pornography was mentioned.
Khan, who has since been expelled from the Conservative Party, was convicted after a jury deliberated for five hours.
The judge, Mr.
Justice Baker, announced that Khan's sentence would be decided at a later date.
While releasing Khan on bail, the judge stated: "You have been convicted by a jury of this offence of sexual assault and you will have to be sentenced in due course.
I make it clear that all sentencing options, including immediate custody, are being considered by the court." Khan's legal team from Janes Solicitors expressed that he "maintains his innocence" and plans to appeal as soon as possible.
Labour demanded Khan's immediate resignation, with a spokesperson stating: "Imran Ahmad Khan should immediately resign so a by-election can take place and the people of Wakefield can get the representation they deserve." Meanwhile, Tory MP Crispin Blunt described himself as "utterly appalled and distraught" by what he called "the dreadful miscarriage of justice" affecting his colleague.
In a statement, Blunt added: "His conviction today is nothing short of an international scandal, with dreadful wider implications for millions of LGBT+ Muslims around the world."
