"Whilst enjoying their hospitality you were sexually abusing their children."
Zulfikar Ali Tai, a videographer, from Spinney Hills in Leicester, has been jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of molesting a young girl, who he was babysitting at her home.
Tai who is originally from Kachholi, Gujarat in India, got married in 2016 and is a family man with a wife and two small children of his own.
Leicester Crown Court heard how Tai had taken advantage of the underage girl whilst she was entrusted in his care.
Tai, aged 43, touched the six-year-old girl indecently many times and the sexual abuse continued until the girl was about 10 years old.
The sexual assault on the girl aged under 13, took place between 2008 and 2016, on different dates in her bed.
The young victim expressed her suffering and abuse through an essay she wrote at school which was a “cry for help”. The essay provoked a police inquiry.
During the investigation, police also came across a second victim who came forward.
The second victim revealed that Tai had molested her as well when she was aged 16. The sexual abuse took place as she slept in her bed while he was a guest staying at her family’s home.
Both of the victims had to go through their traumatic experiences in court during the case.
Judge Steven Evans reflected on what was heard in court and addressing Tai, said:
“Both girls have had to relive their experiences in court; their evidence was compelling and as the jury found, their distress was genuine.
“Your defence involved impugning them and members of their family, their parents, and they had to listen to your distressing lies.
“The families of the victims are supportive and caring – and the girls will need that love and support in the days to come.”
Prosecutor Caroline Bray told the court that both victims have experienced extreme trauma after their sexual abuse ordeals.
The girl who was underage when the molestation started, who is now aged 14 said in her impact statement that Tai is a “monster figure” and feels “broken” and still suffers from nightmares.
The second older victim, who is now 18 years old, said the sexual abuse made her feel “sad” and she felt “different” from her friends. She thinks about it every day and as a result, she has lost her confidence.
Tai denied all the sexual offences and claimed no sexual contact was ever made by him and that the girls and their families had made up the allegations against him.
His lawyer, Jane Rowley, before the sentencing said:
“He is of previous good character.
“He’s been a hard-working man, a videographer.
“He’s an Indian national and his immigration status isn’t settled as he doesn’t have a right to remain – he will be deported.
“His wife has no right to remain and it will have an impact on his dependents – she has no residency status and will have to return to India.”
After finding Tai guilty of the sexual offences, he was sentenced for six sexual assaults upon a child under 13 and two counts of sexual assault in relation to the older girl.
When Tai was sentenced, Recorder Steven Evans said:
“You’ve significantly affected the lives of two young people.”
“One was a child and the other a young adolescent coming into adulthood.”
After reading the impact statements of the victims Mr Evans said:
“You’ve brought shame and ruin to the lives of these two young people.
“You deliberately engineered a position of trust and association in order to have access to them.
“The two families trusted you utterly with their most treasured possessions, their daughters.
“Whilst enjoying their hospitality you were sexually abusing their children.”
“You targeted these children, the location was their own homes where they were entitled to feel safe.”
In addition to the 10-year jail sentence, Tai has been on indefinite sexual harm prevention and restraining orders.
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