Delivery driver guilty of assault
A WOKINGHAM man has been convicted of sexual assault following an incident in Reading.
Forid Khil, aged 28 and of Mill Lane, Wokingham, has been found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and a further count of stalking.
The six-day trial at Reading Crown Court concluded on Monday, February 5, when the a unanimous jury gave a guilty verdict.
Khil is now due to be sentenced on Monday, March 18 at the same court.
It follows an incident where, at around 9.20pm on January 15 last year, Khil approached the victim while she was walking along Reading Bridge alone.
Khil blocked her way with a bike he was using for food deliveries and began asking her personal questions.
He also demanded the victim’s mobile phone number repeatedly until she gave in, but then proceeded to continue to walk with her.
Khil then sexually assaulted the victim by feigning a handshake, during which he pulled her towards him and kissed her.
Khil continued to call and message the victim multiple times for two weeks until she reported the incident to police.
A second incident happened at some point between February and July last year, during which Khil befriended the victim by bringing her free food from his delivery work.
He invited himself into the victim’s home, but she told him that she did not want to see him again as a result of his behaviour.
He began to visit her address daily, knocking on windows and doors, as well as sending repeated messages demanding to be let in.
The victim refused and threatened to call the police.
A third incident took place on June 30 last year, when another victim ordered food through a delivery app.
At around 11.15am that day, Khil visited the victim’s house to deliver the order, when he began asking invasive questions.
Again he began to demand the victim’s phone number and demanded to kiss her, which the victim denied.
Khil then placed his foot in the way of the door and attempted to push into her home before touching the victim over her clothing.
He was arrested on August 3 last year and charged the following day.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Anaïs Banneville, part of the Priority Crime Team based at Reading police station, said: “I would like to thank the victims for coming forward and supporting our investigation and their bravery should be recognised.
“Khil’s behaviour was extremely predatory and was clearly escalating, targeting lone, vulnerable women and exploiting his delivery driver status to carry out offences.
“I hope this conviction goes some way in giving victims the confidence to come forward to the police to report such offences.
“Thames Valley Police is dedicated to tackling violence against women and girls by identifying and pursuing those who commit these crimes.
“For victims of sexual assault, coming forward and reporting it is incredibly hard, but we urge anyone who has been subjected to these terrible crimes, to speak up. We will believe you and support you throughout the process.
“You can contact us via our website, by calling 101, or by visiting a police station.”
THE work of an important team of volunteers - both human and canine - was highlighted last week.
Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs is an organisation that’s on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to assist search and rescue teams, Thames Valley Police and other emergency services.
Its primary role is to assist with locating lost or missing vulnerable people within Berkshire and the surrounding areas.
A coffee morning took place at the Bradbury Centre in Rose Street on Friday to raise funds, and to help visitors get to know more about the group.
It has been selected by Cllr Sally Gurney, Wokingham town mayor, as her charity for the year.
She told Wokingham Today:
“I wanted to support an animal charity, and one where I can make a difference. They do so much great work.”
She added her thanks to Cook, Aldi, Tesco, Sainsburys. Co-op and Morrisons for their kind donations for the coffee morning.
Ro Facer, Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs secretary, said funding was the biggest challenge for the group.
She said: “It costs us about £10,000 a year just to stand still.”
Otto, a labrador who is celebrating his tenth birthday this week, has been a qualified resume dog for more than eight years. He is an ‘air scent’ dog, meaning he will find any human in a specific search area.
Ro said a lot of their searches involve people with dementia.
“One of our dogs was called to a care home and given a scent item of a missing person. The dog checked all of the exits and did not indicate anything.
“The handler made a big statement based on the lack of an indication, saying they did not think the person had left the home due to the fact the dog did not show an interest in any of the exits.
“The care home conducted another search and the missing person was found inside a cupboard.”
■ For more information visit. www.k9-sar.com.