LONDON: Former British-Pakistani peer, Nazir Ahmed, repeatedly sexually abused two younger children in 1970s when he was a teenager, the UK media reported amid the ongoing trial of the ex-member of House of Lords in the United Kingdom.
Nazir Ahmed, previously known as Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, had carried out serious sexual acts when the defendant was under 14. The 63-year-old Nazir is on trial at Sheffield Crown Court charged with a number of sexual offences. “Nazir has denied two counts of attempting to rape a girl under 16, indecent assault of a boy under 14 and raping a boy under 16,” the UK media report said.
Besides Nazir, his two brothers, Mohammed Farouq (70) and Mohammed Tariq (65) are also accused of the “indecent assault” but are not fit to plead and face a trial of the facts.
Reportedly, the allegations came to light in 2016 when a man and a woman contacted the police, more than 40 years after the alleged assaults took place. As things stand, the ongoing trial is expected to last three weeks after the defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In November last year, Nazir had announced his retirement from the Upper House of the UK’s Parliament amid charges of sexual misconduct. Nazir had resigned amid reports that a House of Lords Conduct Committee recommended that he should have been expelled.
“…Lord Ahmed breached the Code of Conduct by failing to act on his personal honour in the discharge of his parliamentary activities by agreeing to use his position as a member of the House to help a member of the public but then; sexually assaulting the complainant, lying to the complainant about his intentions to help her with a complaint to the Metropolitan Police regarding exploitation by a faith healer, exploiting the complainant emotionally and sexually despite knowing she was vulnerable,” stated the committee’s report.
Though Nazir’s tainted credentials are well known, the Pakistani media had covered up his ouster as voluntary retirement.
Nazir is not new to controversies. The 63-year-old was born in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir but migrated to the UK as a child with his parents. He has been an ardent supporter of Khalistani terror groups and a critic of the Indian government’s policies.