SOHAIL AYAZ FROM BARKING SENTENCED TO DEATH IN PAKISTAN FOR CHILD ABUSE CRIMES

In a significant and disturbing development, Sohail Ayaz, a man previously residing in Barking, London, has been sentenced to death by hanging in Pakistan for a series of heinous crimes involving the abduction and sexual abuse of young boys. The case, which has garnered international attention, highlights the severity of his offenses and the extent of his criminal activities across multiple countries.

On November 2020, a trial court in Pakistan delivered a comprehensive verdict, condemning Ayaz and his accomplice, Khurram Tahir, for their involvement in kidnapping three children. The court's judgment detailed how Ayaz deceitfully lured the victims to his residence, where he confined them, administered intoxicants such as ice (crystal methamphetamine), and subsequently raped them. The court's written verdict explicitly ordered that Ayaz be hanged by the neck until death, emphasizing the gravity of his crimes.

Furthermore, the court mandated that Ayaz pay compensation to the families of each of his three victims, acknowledging the profound harm inflicted upon them. The verdict also revealed that Ayaz was involved in sodomy and participated in the recording and sale of child sexual abuse images and videos. As a result, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, along with three additional sentences of 15 years of rigorous imprisonment and three sentences of seven years of rigorous imprisonment, reflecting the multiple charges against him.

Khurram Tahir, his accomplice, received three seven-year prison terms and a fine, the maximum permitted under Pakistani law, for his role in abducting the children. The court's findings included horrifying details of the images and videos depicting children as young as six months being raped, with some victims shown tied up or blindfolded before being abused. These images, which were part of the evidence, underscored the depravity of the crimes committed.

Ayaz's criminal history predates this case. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to a series of sexual offenses, including the rape of a 14-year-old boy, which led to a four-year jail sentence in the UK before his deportation. During that period, he was also wanted in Italy for his alleged involvement in a child sex abuse ring operating in Romania. His criminal activities spanned multiple countries, revealing a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior.

In July 2009, Ayaz, then a 35-year-old former employee of Save the Children, was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting to molesting and photographing a 14-year-old boy. His employment at the charity, which was intended to help vulnerable children, was marred by his double life as a predatory paedophile. Authorities had apprehended him at the charity's headquarters in the UK, where they discovered thousands of child pornography images on his devices, including some of infants as young as six months old. Many of these images were classified as the most severe Level 5 category, depicting distress and abuse.

Investigations revealed that Ayaz had also abused a young boy in another country, whose identity remains confidential for legal reasons. He had forwarded images of this abuse to a fellow paedophile in Britain, further illustrating his active participation in a global network of child abusers. His guilty pleas included charges of indecently photographing the boy and distributing the images, along with possession of hundreds of indecent images and videos collected through file-sharing activities.

During sentencing, Judge Gregory Stone QC expressed profound concern over Ayaz's motivations, stating, “One can only conclude that you are driven by powerful paedophile interests. Offenses such as these cause immense damage to children. Society has utter revulsion for such activity which brings nothing but degradation upon vulnerable children.” The judge highlighted that some images involved children as young as six months, emphasizing the disturbing nature of the material.

Despite Ayaz's cooperation with authorities, his remorse, and his previous good character, the judge emphasized the high risk he posed to children. As part of his sentence, Ayaz was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, barred from working with children, and was recommended for deportation. The court also indicated that a Sexual Offences Prevention Order might be imposed later.

Ayaz's arrival in Britain in January 2008 was on a two-year skilled worker visa, initially residing with his sister in Sheffield before moving to rented accommodation in Barking. His employment at Save the Children began in October 2009, after he applied for a grants monitoring position at their London headquarters. Although police initially feared his role might give him access to vulnerable children, investigations confirmed that his job did not involve direct contact or access to sensitive information about children, thus bypassing the need for criminal record checks.

However, the investigation into Ayaz's activities was triggered by an international paedophile ring, which was uncovered following the arrest of a Norwegian police officer. Authorities discovered that Ayaz had been in contact with contacts in Romania, who could supply at least 15 children for abuse. He had also shared this information with a paedophile in Italy, who is currently awaiting trial. Scotland Yard's Paedophile Unit tracked him down and conducted surveillance, leading to his arrest at his workplace in Barking. The police also coordinated with international agencies, including Oslo police and Italian authorities, who issued warrants for his extradition.

Examination of Ayaz's computers revealed over 2,000 indecent images, many of which had been deleted but could still be recovered. The evidence indicated that he maintained regular contact with other offenders across Europe and Asia, exchanging emails discussing depraved acts involving children. Despite having no prior convictions, the evidence of his predatory nature was overwhelming, and his activities demonstrated a clear pattern of sexual addiction and international criminal collaboration.

Outside the courtroom, Detective Sergeant Nick Duffield of the Metropolitan Police's Paedophile Unit expressed satisfaction with the sentence, stating it sent a strong deterrent message to others involved in similar activities. He emphasized the importance of arresting Ayaz at his place of work to prevent him from fleeing and praised Save the Children for their cooperation in the investigation.

Representatives from Save the Children also responded, condemning Ayaz's actions and reaffirming their commitment to child safety. Ishbel Matheson, a charity spokeswoman, stated, “Save the Children has been extremely shocked and horrified by this case. We welcome the fact that the judge has imposed a sentence which will put him in prison. This man clearly represents a danger to children. We do think it is important to stress, however, that although he was briefly employed at Save the Children for just over 12 weeks, some of that time he was under police investigation. He had no contact with children and absolutely no access to sensitive information about children. We fully co-operated with police when they brought this to our attention in January and we hope by co-operating speedily we have contributed in some way to him being brought to justice."