Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Trial told of marriage offer
A 54-YEAR-OLD married man accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl offered to pay her mother “as much money as you wish” to wed the teenager, a court has heard.
Jawwad Akram, who lives in Edgware in north London but is originally from Pakistan, denies sexual activity with a child and facilitating the travel of another person with the view to exploitation between August and October 2021.
Opening the trial at Harrow Crown Court yesterday, Heather Stangoe, prosecuting, said the 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went missing in August after her family refused to allow Akram to marry her.
Ms Stangoe told the court the defendant took her to stay in a rented flat in Dundee, and that the girl’s mother did not know the whereabouts of her daughter until more than a month later when police found her.
Ms Stangoe said staff at London hotel called police in September after they became concerned about the age difference between Akram and the girl when they checked in.
Akram was arrested and bailed under the condition he did not contact the girl, who was put into foster care the next day, jurors heard.
Ms Stangoe said the girl then went missing from her foster family’s home in Kent in October.
She told the court Akram had made arrangements to take the girl back to Scotland again.
He was arrested at his home several days later and the girl was found safe in a Dundee flat the next day, jurors were told.
The mother, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court she first met Akram when he visited their home and asked to marry her daughter, adding: “My family was destroyed as a result.”
Speaking to the court through a translator, she said: “He said he wants her to be his wife. I said no because (she) was 15 years old.”
Heather Stangoe asked her what Akram responded, to which she said: “He called me a Gypsy and asked me how much money do I want – as much money as you wish, I will give you.”
The mother then said: “I told him as follows: ‘Even if I am a Gypsy, I do not sell my daughter’.”
Ms Stangoe then asked if Akram said anything to her daughter, who was allegedly present during the encounter.
The mother said Akram told the girl: “Tell your mother that you want me.”
She later added: “I told him: ‘Leave the girl alone because she is only 15 years old. She is not of marriageable age. She can find a boyfriend her own age – not him’.”
Describing the alleged conversation further, the mother said: “He said he was not interested in age because, in his country, children got married at 12 years old.”
Daniel Chadwick, defending
Akram, asked the girl’s mother why she did not call the police when her daughter went missing.
She replied that the girl said: “If you turn me into the police, I will kill myself.”
Mr Chadwick then suggested to her that she never had a meeting with Akram and that the conversations were made up.
She replied: “That is incorrect. I’m prepared to put my hand on the Bible again and say that I met with him and asked him to leave my daughter alone.”
Mr Chadwick suggested she said this because she is helping the police to avoid getting in trouble over accusations she hit her daughter with a stick.
Growing tearful, the mother said: “No, I say these things because I destroyed my family. He took my child from my home. All I want is justice to be done.”
The trial continues.