Naveed Khawaja, a 55-year-old resident of Yew Street, has been sentenced to three years in jail by Leeds Crown Court on May 9. The conviction comes after Khawaja was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault.
The arrest of Khawaja took place on October 11, 2021, following a report received earlier that month about a male individual visiting the home of one of the victims. Once inside the house, he carried out a sexual assault on the particularly vulnerable victim.
Kirklees CID initiated an investigation into the matter, which led them to link Khawaja to two previous unsolved sexual assault cases in Bradford. These incidents occurred in July 2017 and October 2019, both involving vulnerable women.
After an extensive investigation, the 53-year-old was charged with all the offences in September 2022.
Detective Inspector Simon Reddington from Kirklees CID commented on the case, saying, “Khawaja is a predatory sex offender who targeted vulnerable victims, and we welcome his conviction and sentencing. West Yorkshire Police takes all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, and we encourage victims to come forward. This case demonstrates that even when it may not be initially feasible to bring a prosecution, unsolved cases are not forgotten, and new evidence can emerge, leading to the identification and prosecution of suspects.”
He further stated, “West Yorkshire Police is fully dedicated to ensuring the safety of women and girls, and we make every effort to remove offenders like Khawaja from our streets.”
The conviction and sentencing of Naveed Khawaja serve as a reminder of the importance of reporting sexual offences and the commitment of law enforcement to bring offenders to justice. West Yorkshire Police encourages anyone with information or who may have been a victim of a sexual assault to come forward and report the incident.
