British politician, Nazir Ahmed has been found guilty of attempting to rape a young girl and sexually assaulting a boy under 11 in the 1970s.
Ahmed, who was formerly Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, was today found guilty of sexual offences against a boy and a girl dating back more than 40 years.
A woman told a jury at Sheffield Crown Court that Ahmed, now 64, had attempted to rape her in the early 1970s, when the defendant was about 16 or 17 years old but she was much younger.
He was also found guilty of a serious sexual assault against a boy under 11, also in the early 1970s.
The 64-year-old, who appeared under his real name of Nazir Ahmed, had denied the charges.
During the trial, prosecutor Tom Little QC told the court Lord Ahmed had attempted to rape the girl in the early 1970s, when the defendant was aged 16 or 17 but she was much younger.
The attack on the boy, who was aged under 11 at the time, also happened during the same period.
Mr. Little said Lord Ahmed claimed the allegations were a “malicious fiction” but a phone recording of a 2016 conversation between the two victims showed they were not “made-up or concocted”.
The woman’s call was prompted by an email from the male victim saying: “I have evidence against that paedophile,” the jury previously heard.
Lord Ahmed was charged along with his two older brothers, Mohammed Farouq, 71, and Mohammed Tariq, 65, but both were deemed unfit to stand trial.
Both had faced charges of indecent assault against the same boy abused by Lord Ahmed.
Though the men did not face a criminal trial, jurors concluded that they did commit the alleged acts after hearing evidence in the case.
Lord Ahmed, who was convicted following a retrial, resigned from the House of Lords in November 2020 after a conduct committee report concluded he had sexually and emotionally exploited a vulnerable woman who sought his help.
The inquiry into his behaviour followed a BBC Newsnight investigation.
The report made him the first peer to be recommended for expulsion but he resigned before this could be implemented.
Rosemary Ainslie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime division, said: “By these verdicts the jury has clearly decided that no matter the delay between the offences and the trial, and the defences raised, they could be sure that the accounts of the victims were credible and true.
“One of these defendants held a position of power, influence and responsibility for some time in the House of Lords but this case clearly illustrates that where there is sufficient evidence, even in challenging cases, the CPS will bring a prosecution, put evidence before a jury and see rightful convictions.”
The judge, Mr. Justice Lavender, ordered Lord Ahmed to appear at the same court for sentencing on 4 February.
