Tariq Syed

A 64-year-old man from Bradford has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for the rape of a 13-year-old girl, an offence that involved grooming, threats, and an attempt to pervert the course of justice by bribing the victim's family.

The incident occurred in September 2014 when Tariq Syed, residing on Pemberton Drive in Little Horton, Bradford, drove the barely teenage victim to an isolated wooded area. According to court proceedings at Bradford Crown Court, Syed had previously befriended the girl's family, providing gifts such as phones, clothes, and a computer tablet under the pretence of helping the financially struggling Romanian family. Prosecutor Sharon Beattie detailed how Syed collected the girl from school and forced her to have sex with him, ignoring her screams and threatening to kill and bury her if she resisted.

Forensic evidence presented during the trial confirmed the assault, with Syed's semen found on the inside of the girl's school trousers. Dr Mark Dale, a forensic expert, testified that the results were consistent with sexual activity having taken place. Syed denied the charges of rape and perverting the course of justice, claiming the mother had fabricated the allegation for financial gain and asserting he had taken the girl for an abortion on the day in question. However, a jury convicted him after deliberating for less than two hours.

Following the rape, Syed threatened the victim to ensure her silence and intimidated her mother. He offered the family £15,000 to return to Romania, aiming to remove them from the UK and avoid prosecution. Judge David Hatton QC, in passing sentence, described the crime as a targeted grooming offence: 'You took a girl barely into her thirteenth year to an isolated location. You defiled her. You had targeted her for that specific purpose. This offence was a consequence of grooming. You issued threats of what would become of her unless she kept her silence. You terrified her.' The judge also noted Syed's intimidation of the mother and his failed attempt to evade justice.

The investigation was led by West Yorkshire Police's Bradford District Safeguarding Unit. Syed was initially arrested shortly after the report but denied the offence and was bailed. He was re-arrested the following month after the bribery offer came to light and faced charges. The case faced complications when the victim and her family unexpectedly returned to Romania just before the trial in August of the previous year. To ensure proceedings continued, Detective Constable Charlotte Grose and Detective Sergeant Amanda Middleton travelled to Romania to arrange video link evidence. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Howard praised the team's determination, stating: 'Syed was an evil man who thought that by throwing money at the family he would get them to drop the case against him.'

Syed was cleared of a separate charge of causing actual bodily harm to the girl's mother with a knife at her workplace takeaway. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life. The sentencing marks the conclusion of a lengthy investigation that spanned international efforts to secure justice.