ROTHERHAM: Former member of House of Lords and Pakistani, Kashmiri community leader Nazir Ahmed has said that he considers the court decision against the evidences presented in the court in regards to sexual offences and he has instructed his lawyers to appeal against this decision.
The Sheffield Crown Court Wednesday found former Labour member of House of Lords, Nazir Ahmed guilty of sexual offences against two children in the 1970s but he denied all allegations and charges and declared himself innocent.
According to a BBC report, Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham was convicted of a serious sexual assault against a boy and the attempted rape of a young girl. The judge, Mr Justice Nicholas Lavender, bailed Ahmed to appear at the same court for sentencing on 4 February.
Sheffield Crown Court heard the repeated sexual abuse happened in Rotherham when he was a teenager. The 64-year-old, who appeared under his real name of Nazir Ahmed, had denied the charges. A detailed hearing of the case was conducted in the third week of November 2021.
Upon contacting, former Lord Nazir Ahmed told ‘The Nation’, London that he does not agree to court’s decision and has instructed his lawyers to appeal. “The verdicts have gone completely against the evidence and therefore, we have given instructions to our lawyers to appeal against the conviction”.
He said that the allegations were 50 years old with vested interest and certain vendetta involved behind this baseless and unfounded case. “We have 28 days to appeal so I have instructed my lawyers to submit an appeal.
Nazir Ahmed reminded that the case was stopped by a senior judge earlier last year and CPS appealed. “I shall unveil the curtain of the conspiracy hatched against me and will expose the elements behind this intrigue”, Nazir Ahmed stated.
He said that on previous hearing in 3rd week of November last year, the prosecution tried to established allegations against him but he categorically stated that he told police it seemed there was ‘an agenda behind the complaints’ and he was concerned that if he responded to the allegations this would be ‘manipulated’.
He denied buggery of a boy under 11, two counts of attempted rape of a girl under 16 and the indecent assault of a boy under 11.
On previous hearing, the jury was told how the woman alleges that Ahmed attempted to rape her in the early 1970s, when the defendant was about 16 or 17-years-old but she was much younger. The jury was played a recording of a telephone call between the two complainants, made by the woman after she went to the police in 2016.
During the trial, prosecutor Tom Little QC told the court that Nazir Ahmed had attempted to rape the girl in the early 1970s, when the defendant was aged 16 or 17 but she was much younger. The attack on the boy, who was aged under 11 at the time, also happened during the same period, the court was told.
Mr Little said Ahmed claimed the allegations were a “malicious fiction” but a phone recording of a 2016 conversation between the two victims showed they were not “made-up or concocted”.
Nazir Ahmed made the history to be appointed first Muslim member of House of Lords during Labour Government but resigned from life-lordship in 2020.
He is a prominent leader of Pakistani and Kashmiri community and has been on forefront to highlight the Kashmir and other affairs of both the communities. The unfortunate news spread like fire of jungle, become talk of the town and both the communities expressed great regret over the sad decision of the court.