A driving instructor “selfishly and cynically” groomed a vulnerable teenager over Snapchat before travelling 75 miles to molest her in the back of his “blacked out” car.
Married dad-of-two Asif Mahmood Mirza was caught with his young victim after a suspicious passer-by had spotted his VW parked up in Sittingbourne with its engine running and windows covered.
Fearing someone inside may be suicidal, they called police, Maidstone Crown Court heard.
But when Mirza was confronted by officers, he claimed the girl was his step-daughter, only to be unable to tell them her full name.
The 43-year-old, who had arranged to meet his victim after four months of “chatting” online, was arrested.
In the car police found a bundle of tissues, a pregnancy test, and a plastic bag which he had used to perform what the judge described as an “exceptionally repulsive” sex act.
When the teenager was later questioned about the incident, she revealed how Mirza had also hugged her and touched her thigh.
She told officers that having added him on the social media platform because she “wanted someone to talk to”, she had sent him a photograph of her breasts. There had also been an earlier meeting in a park.
Mirza, of Hubbards Close, Uxbridge, later admitted sexual communication with a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual activity with a child and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Appearing in court on Tuesday (November 5) for his sentencing hearing, he was supported by his wife, who had written a letter explaining the detrimental impact on her family life following her husband’s arrest
But on jailing the sex offender, Judge Robert Lazarus remarked that it might be best for her and her children to “not have anything further to do with him”.
Prosecutor Bridget Todd explained how the alarm had been raised by a member of the public who became suspicious at the sight of the VW car in Avenue of Remembrance on August 2 this year.
When police arrived, their initial knock on the vehicle went unanswered, despite being able to make out someone in the back seat.
“The officers continued banging on the window and saw a person move from the back seat and into the driver’s seat,” said Miss Todd.
“The driver’s door then opened and the defendant identified himself. The rear passenger door also opened and the victim exited.
“The officers asked the defendant who the girl was and he replied that she was his step-daughter, that he was not from the area, and had travelled down to meet her.
“But he couldn’t provide her full name and then said she was a friend he had arranged to meet.”
The girl, described as appearing “unsettled and emotional”, initially told police Mirza was her step-father, before also saying he was a friend and that they had sat in the car together because she had felt dizzy and unwell.
Miss Todd said the teen explained however how Mirza, who she knew as Ali, had “come onto her”, implying that he wanted sex.
Referring to the online grooming, the prosecutor said the girl had only ever been sent a photo of his face, and one in which he appeared younger than his age.
“She didn’t know his last name. She said she added him (to Snapchat) because she wanted to make friends and have someone to talk to,” Miss Todd told the court.
“She told him she was 14 and where she lived. He told her he lived in London.”
It was at Mirza’s suggestion that they eventually met, the prosecutor continued.
“She met him that day in the park and, having felt unwell, went to sit in his car. They sat in the back seat,” explained Miss Todd.
“She said the defendant had put curtains up to block out the sun. They chatted about school and he touched her leg and tried to move his hand further up.”
Mirza began to touch her over her clothing but stopped when she told him ‘No’.
However, he then pulled down his trousers and used the bag to perform a sex act on himself.
In a victim impact statement written by the girl’s mum, the court heard she had become withdrawn and was self-harming.
“She won’t talk about any of it. She says she doesn’t want help. She says she’s fine but I know she isn’t fine…She is not the same as she was before,” explained the parent.
She also detailed her own upset, anger and confusion, as well as fear that the call from police “could have been to identify her body”.
“It disgusts me to know this man travelled to meet a child and then sexually assaulted her in his car,” she added.
The court heard Mirza, who is originally from Pakistan, had “worked hard” since arriving in the UK in 2006, holding down jobs as a waiter, receptionist and now as a driving instructor.
In a letter read to the court by his lawyer, the sex offender said he hoped that one day his victim and her family could forgive him.
“I am extremely sorry. There are no other words that can describe how bad and sorry I feel for the victim and her family,” he wrote.
“I hope she can recover from all this because no child deserves this at all.”
The court also heard that aside from Mirza’s own heart problem, his remand in custody had also had a “huge impact” on his wife and mother in terms of finance and health issues.
Jagmohan Takk, defending, said that the family now faced having their home repossessed, while his mother, who was said to have no knowledge of what offences her son faced, had relied on him for her care.
But on jailing Mirza for four years, Judge Lazarus made it clear that the harm suffered by his family could not lessen the gravity of his offending.
“You have managed to destroy the lives of at least six people – the victim, her mother, your two children, your wife and your mother,” he told him.
“I do not see the harm you have inflicted upon them, in particular your family, in any way a mitigating factor and, in due course, your wife may come to realise that perhaps the best thing for her and her children is to not have anything further to do with you.”
Of the serious psychological harm caused to the teenager, Judge Lazarus added: “She was exceptionally vulnerable, you knew she was troubled, and you selfishly and cynically targeted her.
“We are yet to see the full extent of the harm she suffered at your hands.”
As a convicted sex offender, Mirza will not be freed until he has served half his sentence, rather than under the recently-introduced 40% release provisions.
He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and indefinite sex offender notification requirements.
