Ozain Shahzad, 24, was made the subject of an abduction warning notice that prohibited him from having the girl inside an address or vehicle after being “warned” by her father who had been sent the video in May last year. Bradford Crown Court heard on Friday that despite the order – and Shahzad, of Shalimar Street in Halifax, being arrested and then released on bail – the girl was found with him at a “luxury apartment” in Bradford just months later.
Prosecutor Robert Mochrie said: “[The bail conditions] were not to contact or communicate with her. Despite that, the victim’s father witnessed him with her again at the back of a supermarket. He approached the defendant who fled on foot.”
Mr Mochrie said Shahzad was remanded in custody on November 27 last year after the girl’s father reported her missing and she was found at the Bradford apartment. The prosecutor said: “Police were able to locate them at the apartment in the Allerton area of Bradford and found her in bed. She was spoken to and said she had been kicked out by her parents and Shahzad had managed to find them somewhere to stay.
“The prosecution say he flagrantly disregarded the notice and bail conditions.” The court heard Shahzad’s phone was seized and two category A videos were discovered on it. The videos were recorded on Snapchat and days later were moved to a folder named “For your eyes only” and sent to the girl.
Mr Mochrie said sexually explicit messages between the pair were also found, as well as messages discussing their future marriage, home, buying wedding jewellery and the prospect of them running away together.
It was said Shahzad went on to plead guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of making indecent images of a child.
Mitigating, Katherine Robinson, said six character references had been handed to the court. She described the case as “rather unusual” and said: “It was a girl who was very keen to be in a sexual relationship with him. Given her age, there is absolutely no defence and he accepts that from the start.”
The court was told the girl had “requested” Shahzad to take the images and had herself distributed them, which caused him “horror” when he found out. Ms Robinson said: “When one looks through the messages there were occasion where she was being sexually forward.”
It was said an element of grooming was mentioned in Shahzad’s pre-sentence report, but Ms Robinson said: “This was two young people talking of marriage.” She added: “He says on several occasions, ‘I feel I’m annoying your dad, I don’t want to push my luck.’ He is a young man – although he is older than her he is naïve and more immature than his years and that comes across in the messages.”
Speaking of the girl being found with Shahzad, the barrister said he “felt she had no where to go when she was telling him she was having difficulties with her family and he felt at the time he was doing the right thing”.
She added: “He will not be troubling the courts again.” Recorder Singh jailed Shahzad for four years and nine months and made him the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years and ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.