By Lucy Caulkett-
A man who repeatedly sexually abused a child over a number of years has had his sentence increased after the Attorney General’s Office referred it for being too low.
Ansar Mahmood, now 37, was initially sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with a one year extended license at Bradford Crown Court for sexually assaulting his victim when she was only 7 years old, and giving gifts of money to secure her silence. That sentence was today extended to 20 years after a recommendation by the Attorney General. The young girl who had become a regular victim of evil Mahmood until she was 11 had told the court how the years of sexual assault had affected her ability to make new friends.
She said she she felt she had lost all her confidence and now held cynical views of males as a result of the countless number of rape attacks he subjected her to. She said she did not believe anybody could care about her genuinely, and perceived all advances from boys to be purely sexually motivated. Sexual abuse has life changing effects on its victims , many never recover from its awful effects. The increase in Mahmood’s sentence may cause others to call for similar changes to the sentences of other victims of abuse, where it appears too low.
Considering the fact 15 years is given to many murderers, many would have been forgiven for accepting 15 years as a suitable sentence for the rape, but the increased sentencing will now set a new benchmark for determining what size of punishment should be given to rapists and sexual abusers of this sort. This stricter guideline should be celebrated, and will be used to judge future cases.
Commenting on the sentence increase, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox QC MP said: Mahmood subjected a young child to a horrific ordeal over a number of years. His original sentence did not fully reflect the seriousness of this crime, and I am satisfied that justice has now been done and seen to be done by those who have suffered at his hands.