The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Mother of sex her daughter’s
Last week we revealed the case of an Iraqi immigrant who was jailed for sex assaults on young girls, eight years after he should have been deported. Here the mother of one victim talks about the impact of the attacks...
The mother of a 13- year- old girl who became the victim of a serial sex offender has described the nightmare of discovering obscene messages written to her daughter.
On Monday last week Mahdi Mohammed ( 33) of New Road, Peterborough, was jailed for 27 months at Peterborough Crown Court, after pleading guilty to a string of child sex offences.
A Peterborough Telegraph investigation revealed the Iraqi immigrant was due to be deported eight years ago.
There was anger from the city’s MPs last week when the PT revealed Mohammed had been allowed to stay in the country despite a court being told he would be deported in 2005 after he was sentenced for making lewd comments to young girls.
He went on to assault a city teenager who had been tricked into befriending Mohammed on Facebook after meeting him in Central Park in the summer of 2010.
After impressing the girl and a friend with tricks at the playground in the park, he then took the girls to his house, and tried to persuade them to pose for indecent pictures, giving the girls mobile phone top- up cards.
The mother of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it was every parent’s nightmare to see what had happened.
Shesaid: “It started in June 2011 when I opened up the lap top and my daughter’s Facebook was open. I saw there were messages, and checked them. They were disgusting.
“It is every parent’s nightmare to see something like this.
“My daughter was only 13 at the time, so I contacted the police straight away,
“My daughter has only told me a few things, so I learned a bit more in court. I did not know she had been to his house more than once. The frightening thing is to think howlong this could have gone on for if I had not found out. My daughter has been really upset, especially with the outcome of the case.
“We were expecting a longer sentence.
“I have been depressed and ill, and it has put as train on my marriage.
“My daughter has been having nightmares, but she said she did not want to tell me more, because she didn’t want to make my illness worse.
“You see this sort of thing on the telly, but you never think it could happen to you.”
While Mohammed was grooming the girl, he even posted a memory stick to her for her to put indecent images on.
The Border Agency said Mohammed would be de- ported when he has finished his sentence.
The girl’s mother added: “I was disgusted when I read in the Peterborough Telegraph he had been sentenced before, and was told then he would be deported. I burst into tears, as all of this could have been prevented.
“I won’t believe he will be deported until it has actually happened.
“It worries me that he knows where we live, and will come after my daughter when he is released. The sooner he goes the better.
“I don’t know if there are, but there could be other victims out there who are too scared to come forward.
“I am seeking legal advice in relation to the Border Agency as to why he was allowed to
attack victim reveals two- year ‘ nightmare’ stay. It is not about money, but someone should take responsibility for what has happened. My daughter just wants answers as to how this could have been allowed to happen.”
During last week’s court hearing Mohammed was seen shaking his head in the dock, and in a letter to the Judge, he blamed his victims for his offending.
The mother said: “He seemed very arrogant.
“If the glass wasn’t in the dock I would have slapped him. He made me so angry.”
Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson labelled the case as ‘ appalling’ last week, and today said: “I have written to the immigration minister to make sure this man is deported at the end of his sentence.”
Mahdi was given the 27 month sentence at Peterborough Crown Courta fter pleading guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of in citing a child to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent images and attempting to sexually touch a child.
The court was told there were three victims, two aged 13 and one aged 15.
Sentencing Mohammed, Judge Madge said: “The offending lasted for two years, and included two different groups of girls.
“It was persistent predatory behaviour. You had been warned about hanging around the park in the past.
“This was sophisticated behaviour. The behaviour at the beginning appears to have been grooming.”