A MAN who sexually abused a young child has been jailed for 13 years following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers.

Imran Ijaz, aged 39, of Lascelles View, Harehills, was convicted of multiple offences including assault by penetration, following a trial at Leeds Crown Court in August.

He was convicted in his absence after he failed to attend court on the fourth day of the trial. He was subsequently arrested in Edinburgh later that month and returned to Leeds to be remanded in custody pending today’s hearing where he was given a sentence of 13 years and two months.

Detective Inspector Emma Wight, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: “His actions have had a significant traumatic impact on the victim and on her family, and we hope that his conviction for these offences and the significant sentence he has received will help to reassure them as they continue to move forward with their lives.

“This successful outcome results from some excellent work by DC Nicki Vincent who painstakingly built up a comprehensive picture of the evidence that saw Ijaz convicted at court.

“He tried to evade justice part way through his trial by fleeing to Scotland but was tracked down and brought back to face the consequences.

“We will always treat reports of offences such as these very seriously and do everything we can to support victims and make sure those responsible are held to account.

“We hope the hard work and dedication of specialist safeguarding officers to bring offenders such as Ijaz to justice will give victims of other similar offences the confidence to come forward.”

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