Imtiaz Ahmed

Imtiaz Ahmed, aged 62 and formerly of Dawson Road in Keighley, was sentenced in absentia to nine years' imprisonment on 17 January 2025 at Bradford Crown Court for one count of rape committed in the late 1990s. As one of three brothers involved in the abuse of a vulnerable teenage girl aged 13 to 14, Ahmed absconded during a retrial last year and is believed to be abroad, prompting a bench warrant for his arrest issued by West Yorkshire Police.

The court learned that Ahmed, who was approximately 35 years old and married with children at the time of the offence, raped the girl in a vacant flat above a shop owned by his family. Judge Ahmed Nadim described how the brothers were introduced to the victim through a couple who 'exercised control' over her and put her out to work as a sex worker. He condemned Ahmed's 'pretence of being a family and community man' as 'nothing more than a mere pretence'. The victim, now in her 40s, detailed in her impact statement the profound trauma: 'I went through too much, too young, and I'm still trying to fix the trauma that other people have inflicted on me.' She was groomed, plied with drugs and alcohol, and passed between abusers, leading to lifelong addiction and loss of identity.

Prosecutor Catherine Duffy outlined the girl's extreme vulnerability and isolation, while Judge Nadim criticised the inadequate responses from police and social services in the 1990s, who dismissed the mother's repeated reports of her daughter's disappearance. He noted they were 'ill-equipped' or 'disinterested', wrongly blaming the victims. Following the sentencing, the judge commended the victims for their 'courage and steadfastness', hoping the outcome provided 'comfort of knowing that their voices at long last have been heard'.

This case is part of a larger prosecution of eight men for abusing two children in Keighley, with trials concluding in 2024 and reporting restrictions lifted on 17 January 2025. West Yorkshire Police's investigation, described by Det Ch Insp Vicky Greenbank as 'incredibly sensitive and complex', spanned years and highlighted the victims' patience through the process. The offences involved grooming, sexual exploitation, and rape, underscoring failures in protecting vulnerable youth during that era.