Aqib Mahmood, a 28-year-old shop worker from Accrington, Lancashire, was sentenced at Burnley Crown Court for a series of sexual offences against teenage girls. The incidents occurred while Mahmood was working at his father's shop in Warrington, Cheshire.
On 31 October 2023, a 14-year-old girl and her friend entered the shop. Mahmood asked their ages and suggested they could return if they wanted. A few weeks later, the girls returned to buy a vape, which Mahmood refused to sell. During the conversation, when one girl asked what she could do to obtain the vape, Mahmood replied that she could 'suck him off'. The girl returned two days later, again attempting to purchase a vape. Mahmood repeated his offer, stating that if she sucked his penis, he would give it to her. She refused, but when he asked for a hug, he placed his hands on her buttocks and squeezed during the embrace, constituting a sexual assault.
While on police bail following his arrest, Mahmood committed another offence against a 15-year-old girl. He told her that if she wanted cannabis, she would 'have to do something for it'. He placed his hand on his crotch and said: 'I want you to make me hard.' The girl did not comply with his requests.
The girls disclosed the incidents to their parents, leading to Mahmood's arrest by Lancashire Police. Initially, he pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged 13-15 to engage in penetrative sexual activity, one count of causing or inciting a girl aged 13-15 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, and one count of sexual assault at a hearing in May. He changed his pleas to guilty shortly before the victims were due to give evidence.
Emma Kehoe, mitigating for Mahmood, explained that he had been struggling physically and mentally at the time, turning to cannabis and alcohol to cope. She stated: 'He regrets and is entirely remorseful for what he did. He still cannot understand why he did what he did.' Judge Daniel Prowse remarked that he was satisfied Mahmood had a sexual attraction to teenage girls and posed a risk to children. He accepted there was a degree of remorse, noting it was 'not unusual' for people who have committed sexual offences to struggle to come to terms with what they have done.
Mahmood was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. Additionally, a sexual harm prevention order was imposed for 20 years, and he will be subject to sex offender notification requirements for life.