In 2019, the Offender Database confirmed that Harry Miah, then 53, of Norfolk Drive, St Leonards, East Sussex, was sentenced to 18 years in prison at Hove Crown Court. Harry Miah, a former taxi driver whose job involved transporting vulnerable children to and from schools, was found to have used his position of trust to carry out a series of “predatory” sex attacks. The offences occurred in the Hastings, East Sussex, area between 1991 and 1998, targeting young girls whom Miah was meant to be protecting and escorting safely.
The court heard that Harry Miah sexually abused one schoolgirl, aged between 12 and 15, on multiple occasions during the taxi school run. In addition to these attacks, Harry Miah subjected another young girl he knew to prolonged abuse, beginning when she was just six years old and continuing until her teenage years. Forensic investigations into the computer equipment of Miah also revealed a collection of extreme pornography, adding to the list of charges that included indecency with a child, inciting sexual activity, and attempted rape.
Harry Miah was convicted of multiple counts following a trial in September 2018 and subsequently pleaded guilty in early 2019. Judge Christine Henson QC handed Miah an 18-year custodial sentence, emphasising the “devastating and long-lasting” impact his betrayal of trust had on his victims. The judge remarked that Harry Miah had exploited a vital community role to gain access to children, necessitating a lengthy prison term to reflect the gravity of his crimes and the danger he posed.
As a result of his convictions for multiple serious sexual offences, Harry Miah is on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He was also made the subject of a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which places severe legal restrictions on his access to children and his use of computers or internet-enabled devices. Official monitoring of Miah is conducted by Sussex Police under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), ensuring that he remains under permanent scrutiny to prevent any further risk to the community in the St Leonards and Hastings areas.
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