‘I HOPE THAT SOMEDAY I WILL FEEL HAPPY AGAIN’
Girl, 10, needs counselling after being kissed on thigh by stranger
DRUNKEN pervert Jalil Mirwais kissed a 10-year-old girl on her thigh and cheek as she was enjoying a day out in Hanley.
The 25-year-old approached the youngster and bent down and kissed her on her leg before kissing her a second time on her right cheek.
And a few months later he was found in possession of a sharp blade.
Now Mirwais has been jailed for 13 months at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court.
Prosecutor Darron Whitehead said the victim was with her sisters and her adult sister’s partner at 10pm on June 20 last year when they were approached.
Mr Whitehead said: “He was drunk. He approached her sister’s boyfriend. Initially it appeared to be in a threatening way, but switched in an instant to being friendly. He then approached the 10-year-old and told her she was pretty.
“He asked for a kiss. He then bent down and moved his face towards her groin area. He then kissed her on her right upper thigh over her clothing.
“Within seconds he kissed her on her right cheek. The police were called by the complainant’s family and he was arrested.”
In a statement, the victim said: “I have cried, been very angry and felt really sad. My family are having support and I am awaiting counselling.
“It has changed me. I was a happy girl but I often feel sad. I hope someday I will feel happy again.”
Mirwais was bailed, but just after midnight on August 18 last year he was seen acting suspiciously in Newcastle.
Mr Whitehead said: “He did not resist the police when they searched him. In his pocket was the blade of a knife.”
Mirwais failed to attend court and left the country. He was arrested when he returned to Heathrow Airport on June 28 this year.
Mirwais, of the Macari Centre, Regent Road, Hanley, pleaded guilty to two offences of sexually assaulting a child under 13, possession of a blade in a public place and failing to surrender to custody.
Anis Ali, mitigating, said: “It is acknowledged the behaviour was strange, inappropriate and disturbing.
“He is realistic enough to expect a custodial sentence. He displays genuine regret and remorse.
“This was out of character, the catalyst perhaps being the consumption of excessive alcohol.”
Mr Ali said the child was not targeted. He said: “It was more impulsive behaviour, if not reckless.”
Judge David Fletcher placed Mirwais on the sex offenders’ register for seven years and made him the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the same period.