A paedophile has been sentenced to a community order for abusing a young girl – and allowed to return to his Bradford home in the neighbourhood where his victim still lives.

Zabhullah Boota, 51, who has a number of disabilities and an educational age of ten, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court yesterday for sexual assault and inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

As previously reported in the Telegraph & Argus, Boota was convicted of abusing the girl and given bail to his home in Lydgate Drive, Lidget Green, on November 15 – a move which the child’s mother said had had a “devastating” effect on her daughter.

Sentencing Boota, Recorder Benjamin Nolan QC said he had considered imposing a residence order requiring him to live somewhere other than his home because his victim still lived in the neighbourhood. He said: “One can see that (Boota returning home) is likely to cause aggravation and distress.

“However, I hear you are, in effect, being evicted by the housing association that rents you your home and I anticipate you will have to move in some matter of months in any event.”

He also said he recognised Boota needed his wife’s assistance due to his disabilities.

Boota was sentenced to a community order with two years’ supervision and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register. He was made subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order which includes a condition banning him from having any contact with the young victim.

Recorder Nolan told Boota: “I’m satisfied the assault was over a short period of time and I am satisfied it was a relatively minor sexual assault but any assault of a child is bound to be serious and this court must take this offence seriously as well.

“Were you of full intelligence and physically fit, I would be considering a period of imprisonment, but undoubtedly this offence is mitigated by the fact you have very severe learning difficulties and a number of physical disabilities.

“For these reasons principally I am going to take what I consider to be a merciful view and impose a community order.”

But speaking after the court hearing the girl’s mother, who cannot be named to protect her daughter’s identity, said: “How could that happen? A child gets attacked and the judge gives him a community order. He’s a paedophile, where is the justice in that?

“This has really upset me, we want protecting from this man from start to finish. My daughter is still very upset, she’s still having nightmares.”