Ilyas Akhtar, aged 48 of Woodlands Road, Manchester, was today sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty at trial of six counts of indecent assault.
During the trial at Bolton Crown Court , the jury heard how the victim in the case, who was around five years old at the time that the offences occurred, reported Akhtar to police in 2019 after disclosing to her partner what had happened when she was younger.
Akhtar was around 14 years old when he began sexually touching the victim, committing indecent assault, on a regular basis at his house and another address, which carried on until the victim was 10 years old.
Akhtar was arrested on 10 March 2019 and later pleaded not guilty to the offences.
Detective Constable Sarah Austin, of GMPs North Manchester district CID, said: “I’d like to thank the victim in this case for her immense bravery in deciding to come forward and support an investigation into Akhtar after all those years.
“The effect that sexual abuse can have upon a victim can be devastating and we need to make sure that anyone who commits these acts faces justice. I hope this sentence comes as some comfort and closure.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to remind any victims of sexual abuse who have not yet come forward, that we can help you, no matter how long ago the offences happened, we will do all we can to support you”.
