Family’s bravery hailed after child sex offender jailed
A 34-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for 24 months for engaging in sexual activity in front of a four-year-old girl.
Mahmed Mahmed, also known as Mohamed Yusef Mohamed, 39, of Slough, was supposed to be looking after his victim when he took her into the bedroom of a Harrow house and performed a sex act in front of her.
A seven-year-old girl, who he was also supposed to be taking care of, walked in on the crime, in February last year, and told her mother what she had seen.
Her mother told the mother of the victim who reported the crime to police in the face of pressure to keep quiet from within her community.
Police forensics officers found evidence a sex act had taken place in the room where Mahmed took his victim.
Acting DS Zara Baker, from the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation Command, said: “All parties involved are from the Somali community and there were pressures from within the community on the victim’s mother not to speak to police.
“She has shown incredible bravery in coming forward and I am grateful to her and other witnesses in supporting this prosecution.
“I hope that now Mahmed has been found guilty, the family are able to recover and move forward.
“This was a very difficult investigation as many of the witnesses had limited English and were scared of both the police and the reaction of their community.
“Police worked very closely with the family to ensure that they were supported throughout the investigation and the court proceedings.
“I hope this conviction will reassure the Somali community and encourage them to contact police when a crime has been committed; they will be listened to and their views taken into account “
Mahmed was handed a 24-month sentence on Wednesday last week.
