SAJJAD AKRAM, SLEAZY LANDLORD, FREED ON PAROLE IN NEWCASTLE AND TAKING CHILDREN ON CAR RIDES
A sinister child molester recently released on parole in Newcastle took advantage of his freedom by taking children on car rides while concealing his past.Sajjad Akram, known for his previous offending history, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2007 for a serious sexual offence against a teenage boy in an Eldon Square car park.
He was released in October 2008 under strict licence conditions aimed at preventing him from accessing children.
Despite these restrictions, Akram violated the rules by taking three different children on trips in his Ford Focus.
The court heard that he only sought permission from their parents before one outing to McDonald's, and the children's mothers and fathers had no knowledge of Akram's disturbing past, according to prosecutor Robert Adams.
A pre-sentence report by a specialist probation officer highlighted that, despite being subject to licence conditions, attending a sex offender group programme, and undergoing regular monitoring by police and probation, Akram engaged in risk-taking behaviour.
He concealed his activities and sought unsupervised contact with children without parental knowledge or consent.
Akram, formerly residing on Hartington Street in Elswick, was sentenced to two more years behind bars after admitting to three charges of child abduction.
The court clarified that none of the children were harmed or molested during the trips.
However, police remained concerned due to Akram’s history, which includes not only the 2007 Eldon Square offence but also an earlier indecent assault on a schoolboy in 1999, Mr.
Adams explained.
He emphasized that Akram has a significant and worrying record of offending.
All of these recent offences occurred during the summer holiday of the previous year and were discovered after hostel staff noticed a child in Akram's Ford Focus.
Fortunately, no harm came to any of the children, with the defence lawyer, Joe Hedworth, stating, 'It appears they voluntarily got into the car and got out without incident.' Already registered as a sex offender for life, Akram was also subjected to a 10-year sexual offences prevention order, which requires him to avoid contact with children and young persons unless he has a reasonable excuse.
Judge Brian Forster stressed the seriousness of the case, noting, 'You must understand the order requires you to avoid contact with children and young persons without a reasonable excuse.
If you breach the terms, you will face even longer prison time.'
