The 48-year-old MP, who denied the allegations, was suspended by the Conservative Party when they emerged. The Opposition Labour Party called for his immediate resignation as an MP after Monday’s verdict….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistani-origin Conservative Party member of Parliament from northern England was on Monday found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy at a house over 13 years ago.
Imran Ahmad Khan, MP for Wakefield in West Yorkshire, was convicted after a week-long jury trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.
The court was told that Khan forced the boy to drink gin at a party in Staffordshire in 2008 before dragging him upstairs, pushing him onto a bed and then asking him to watch pornography before the attack.
The 48-year-old MP, who denied the allegations, was suspended by the Conservative Party when they emerged. The Opposition Labour Party called for his immediate resignation as an MP after Monday’s verdict.
“Imran Ahmad Khan should immediately resign so a by-election can take place and the people of Wakefield can get the representation they deserve,” a Labour spokesperson said.
The complainant, now 29, said that the attack had left him “scared and shocked”.
The man, who cannot be named, contacted the Conservative Party in 2019 when Khan was standing in the General Election and then went on to contact the police after Khan was elected to Parliament.
Khan, who is gay, denied sexual assault and claimed he only touched the Catholic teenager’s elbow when he “became extremely upset” after a conversation about his confused sexuality.
Then 34, the politician said he was trying to be “kind” and “helpful” but the teenager became upset and “bolted” when the topic of pornography was raised.
The MP will be sentenced at a later date. If he is handed a prison sentence of 12 months or more, he would be immediately removed as an MP, triggering a by-election in Wakefield.
If the sentence is less than 12 months, his constituents could trigger a so-called recall procedure to bring about a by-election once appeal processes have been completed.