Naeem Akram 36

Description

A man has been jailed for 12 months after sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who entered his Nelson shop to buy chocolate.

Naeem Akram, 36, formerly of Chapel House Road, locked the door of Chapel House Grocers and assaulted the teenager as she made her way home from school in November 2023.

She escaped, returned home and reported the incident to police. Akram was arrested, charged and pleaded guilty to sexual assault.

He was sentenced yesterday (Wednesday, May 6) at Preston Crown Court.

In a victim personal statement, the girl said the assault had “completely changed her life” and left her scared and needing counselling.

Detective Constable Heather Kerr, of the police’s child protection team, said:

“Akram preyed on a vulnerable teenager for his own sexual gratification, and his actions have had a profound effect on his victim.

“She has shown a great deal of bravery by coming forward and reporting what happened to her and in going through the criminal justice process – that is never easy.

“We take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, we will listen to victims, and we will thoroughly investigate them in order to bring offenders to justice.”