Aasim Qureshi, aged 37, of High Park Crescent, Bradford, has been sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment at Bradford Crown Court after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sexual activity with a vulnerable child whom he was tasked with safeguarding.
The offences occurred in 2021 within a residential care home located in the Bradford District. The court heard that Qureshi, who was employed as a teaching assistant to provide educational support to young residents, abused his position of trust to initiate illicit sexual contact with a female resident aged between 15 and 16.
Under UK legislation, all victims of sexual offences are protected by lifelong statutory anonymity.
In a poignant victim personal statement read during the sentencing hearing, the survivor recounted the profound emotional impact and sense of betrayal caused by the abuse:
“Qureshi was supposed to help me learn but he abused me. I was in care and he took advantage of me. I feel like everything was my fault, I felt betrayed. I want him to know how much the events of the past few years have impacted me. He knew what he was doing, he was the adult in the situation. I want him to know how much him delaying the court proceedings has left me feeling in complete despair. I want to move on, but I am struggling.”
Appearing before Bradford Crown Court, Qureshi entered formal guilty pleas to three counts of sexual activity with a child.
On Friday 2 October, the presiding judge imposed an immediate determinate custodial sentence of 16 months. In addition to the prison term, Qureshi was made subject to statutory notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register and ordered to comply with post-custodial supervisory conditions upon release.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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