Asif Bashir

A Huddersfield man, Asif Bashir, has had his prison sentence extended by four years following a conviction for historical child sexual abuse offences in Kirklees. The 35-year-old, who was already serving an 11-year sentence for rape and attempted rape handed down in November 2018, appeared at Leeds Crown Court on 3 December 2020.

Bashir was found guilty of two counts of sexual touching of a child under 16 and two counts of inciting sexual activity with a child under the age of 16. These offences occurred between 2005 and 2007 in the Huddersfield area and were perpetrated against a young girl. The conviction forms part of West Yorkshire Police's Operation Tendersea, a long-running investigation into the sexual exploitation of young girls in Huddersfield from 1995 to 2011.

The additional four-year sentence is to be served consecutively to Bashir's prior term, bringing his total imprisonment to 15 years. Operation Tendersea has now resulted in 35 men being sentenced, with a combined total of 393 years in prison for those convicted of child sex offences in the area.

• Offences: Two offences of sexual touching of a child under 16; two offences of inciting sexual activity with a child under 16.
• Location: Huddersfield, Kirklees.
• Timeframe: 2005-2007.
• Court: Leeds Crown Court.

Detective Chief Inspector Tanya Wilkins of West Yorkshire Police commented on the sentencing: 'This latest sentencing represents another step forwards in securing justice for victims of non-recent child sexual offending in Kirklees. Both the police and CPS always maintained Bashir was fully aware of the defendant’s young age when he committed these offences against her, and the jury clearly felt this to be the case in returning guilty verdicts for the four offences he was tried for.' She praised the victim's courage, noting: 'I want to praise the courage of the victim in this case for coming forward to report the abuse she suffered and then give evidence against this predatory sex offender. She and other victims who have spoken with us are helping the police and CPS take dangerous and predatory individuals from our streets and make them pay for the crimes they committed.'

The investigation underscores ongoing efforts by West Yorkshire Police to address historical child sexual exploitation in the region, with Bashir identified as the 35th offender convicted under Operation Tendersea.