Police have issued an all ports alert for a child rapist they fear could be trying to flee the country.

Mohammed Nawaz, 58, was yesterday convicted in his absence of repeatedly raping and sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl and indecently assaulting a girl aged 11.

Nawaz, a businessman, of Flockton Road, East Bowling, Bradford, failed to turn up in Court on Wednesday morning, part-way through his trial.

The case at Bradford Crown Court continued in his absence and the judge, Mr Justice Treacy, issued a warrant for his arrest.

Yesterday, the judge was told that Nawaz’s home had been searched and his passport was missing.

Detectives fear Nawaz might attempt to escape to Pakistan.

Yesterday afternoon, the jury, which was told not to speculate about his absence during their deliberations, convicted Nawaz of four offences of rape and five of sexual assault.

He was cleared by the jury of one rape offence and two charges of sexual assault.

The judge then told the jury Nawaz appeared to have deliberately absented himself from the trial.

He said Nawaz had been found guilty of a very serious case of sexual abuse, with one girl “abused in a particularly gross way over a long period of time”.

Mr Justice Treacy adjourned sentence to consider whether he is a public danger.

He said he would wait until Nawaz was arrested and brought to court or order reports in his absence.

“He will be remanded in custody because he has absconded and been convicted of very serious offences,” Mr Justice Treacy said.

Nawaz carried out a catalogue of abuse against a girl when she was aged between 12 and 14, including raping her many times in the flat above his fast-food restaurant, the Shalamar takeaway in Stanningley, Leeds.

He indecently assaulted a second girl when she was aged 11.

Nawaz began sexually abusing the first girl at his home.

He followed her in his car when she started a paper round at 13, made her get in the vehicle and sexually abused her. He bought her silence with money and cigarettes. Nawaz than raped her at a flat above the takeaway.

After the verdicts, Detective Constable Andy Penn, of Operation Topaz, urged anyone with information about Nawaz’s whereabouts to come forward.

Despite the appeal West Yorkshire Police last night refused to issue a picture of Nawaz because of their “continued inquiries” into his whereabouts.