Jail for Brierfield man in sex grooming case

Qasim Hussain (20), of Townley Street, Brierfield, was previously found guilty of perverting the course of justice after a two-week trial at Burnley Crown Court in July and was given a two-year sentence on Friday.

Hussain coerced the victim into travelling to Bradford where she was told to write a letter to say she had made up allegations that she had been abducted and sexually abused at a house on Sackville Street, Brierfield.

A second man, Furqan Amjad (23), of Halifax Road, Brierfield, was jailed for 15 months for the same offence following the trial. He was involved in bombarding the girl with text messages, phone calls and money in an attempt to bribe her against giving evidence

As part of a linked investigation, Amjad’s brother – Mohammed Imran Amjad – was jailed for four years, three months in April after pleading guilty to three offences of child abduction and one of sexual activity with a child.

He was also given a seven-year sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) which prohibits him from contacting any girl under the age of 16 or being in a vehicle with a girl under the age of 16 without express permission from the child’s parent. He must sign the sex offenders’ register and will remain on it for an indefinite period.

On Friday, Hussain was also given another two-year sentence to run consecutively for supplying a class A drug and possession with intent to supply a class A drug. This offence was unrelated to the incident involving the young girl.

He was additionally given an eight-month sentence to run concurrently for another count of perverting the course of justice. This relates to him trying to inaccurately change his bail address while on bail for the offence relating to the young girl.

Detective Chief Inspector Sion Hall said: “I am pleased with the sentence handed to Qasim Hussain, given the ordeal that the young victim was subjected to.

“The result is the last sentencing in a long and complex investigation.

“We’ve worked extremely hard with the young victim over a long period of time. It has been extremely traumatic for her and her family and she has shown a tremendous amount of courage and bravery throughout the case.

“People who interfere with victims and witnesses of crime – whether through bribes or other means – are committing a very serious offence. We treat these incidents very seriously and I hope that the sentences in this case show just how committed we are to identifying those responsible for these crimes and bringing them to justice.”