Family left 'devastated' after young daughter sexually assaulted in Leeds playpark
A mother has told a court her family have been left “devastated” after her daughter was sexually assaulted in a Leeds playpark.
Pervert Yassine Ahmed was jailed this week after targeting the girl, who was on the swings with her younger brother at Woodhouse Moor Park.
At Leeds Crown Court he admitted a charge of sexual assault and common assault after he grabbed the young boy also.
In a victim impact statement, bravely read to the court by the children’s mother, she fought back tears as she said Ahmed’s actions had a “devastating” effect and she was left “heartbroken”.
She added: “We are trapped in an ongoing cycle of fear and distress.”
The children, who cannot be named, had been at the park at around midday on August 26.
Ahmed approached and sat down next to them on a bench. He said “hi” and then put his hand on her thigh, making her “petrified”, prosecutor Jemima Stephenson-Finn told the court.
The 15-year-old later later told police that Ahmed had said to her that certain girls are “very nice” and had looked her up and down.
He rubbed his hand up and down her thigh, and also felt her bra strap. The girl said she froze in the moment, before Ahmed put his arm on the bench, as if to encourage her to hug him.
They moved to another bench but he followed them. He asked for a drink of water and he bizarrely grabbed the boy’s knee, squeezing it tightly.
Ahmed then asked for the girl’s number but she refused. They then left the park but Ahmed again appeared to follow them.
The girl took photos of him on her phone before they fled.
The mother later realised something was wrong with the girl not eating or sleeping, so she confessed to what had taken place.
The police were called and the photos of the suspect passed on. A PCSO went to the park and spotted Ahmed wearing the same clothes from the photo.
He gave them a false name and date of birth. He also said he was in the park to play football.
The 26-year-old was arrested and his identity revealed. Both children picked him out of an identity parade in the following days.
Ahmed, of no fixed address, has no previous convictions.
Mitigating, Rhianydd Clement said Ahmed had been held in custody since his arrest.
She added: “He has shame for what he has done. He fully accepts his offending. He understands this behaviour is not acceptable and assures the court it will never happen again.”
She said he came to the UK from the Sudan in 2021 and has leave to stay. She said he now fears deportation.
The judge, Recorder Taryn Turner told Ahmed that his offending “clearly had a devastating effect”.
She added: “The sentence must be served immediately. The psychological harm has been severe.”
She jailed him for 22 months, put him on the sex offender register for 10 years and gave him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).