Face of shameless sex offender who fled to Pakistan rather than facing justice

Yahoo

3 days ago

This is the mugshot of a shameless convicted child sex offender who fled the country rather than face justice. A warrant for the arrest of Hassan Mahmood, 23, was issued by a judge earlier this week.
Mahmood is now believed to be in Pakistan after flying out of the UK from Manchester Airport and has been handed a hefty jail term in his absence.
Greater Manchester Police have now released the mugshot of Mahmood, with an appeal to track him down.
Manchester Crown Court was told on Thursday (August 7), that Mahmood 'fled' on the second day of his trial, with police investigations going on to reveal he flew from Manchester Airport to Doha, Qatar.
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He denied the charges he faced, but was subsequently convicted by a jury last month of sexual activity with a child, causing a child to watch sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and sexual communication with a child.
The victim was a girl aged 13 at the time - and the court heard she told Mahmood how old she was.
Mahmood, formerly of Gigg Lane in Bury, has now been sentenced to five-and-a-half years behind bars - despite him not being present in court.
Judge John Potter, sentencing, said 'it may well be that there will be other proceedings' against him for 'making himself absent'. Judge Potter said there was 'no current knowledge' of his exact whereabouts' or 'when he might return', but the warrant would remain in force.
Brian Williams, prosecuting, said the complainant, a girl, was 13 years-old at the time. The court heard Mahmood 'started a relationship' with the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, over the internet in January, 2022.
"At that time, you knew she was 13 and still a child," Judge Potter said, addressing Mahmood as though he was present in court. "You were 20 years of age. You knew she was a child because she told you on a chat."
The court heard Mahmood 'sexually exploited' the girl for his own 'sexual gratification'. Messages were exchanged on Snapchat that became 'sexualised' from February 2022, the prosecutor said.
Mahmood sent her 'graphic images and language' as well as sexually explicit videos of himself. The court heard there were also FaceTime chats between them. In one, Mahmood positioned his camera so she could see him carrying out a sex act.
Judge Potter, in his sentencing remarks, said they met in person three times. During one meeting in a park in Openshaw, Manchester, he said Mahmood persuaded the girl to perform a sex act on him. They also 'kissed and hugged' on other occasions in Mahmood's father's car, the court heard.
Mahmood himself became 'obsessed' with her, the court heard, and told her that he loved her. But in May 2022, the girl's mum found the Snapchat messages and alerted police.
The court heard that after his arrest, Mahmood, who had no previous convictions, sent the girl a 'vile, disgusting, abusive and demeaning' letter in which he told her to kill herself because of her 'snitching'. "She was not intimidated by it," said Judge Potter. The letter, the court heard, was designed to intimidate her.
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He said Mahmood sexually abused the girl instead of respecting her and 'exploited her willingness' to communicate with him to abuse her.
Gwen Henshaw, defending, said there was a background of mental health difficulties.
The court heard that when Mahmood was arrested, he made no comment to police and was subsequently released on bail pending further investigation until he was subsequently charged and appeared at Manchester Crown Court for trial, where he was convicted.
Judge Potter said there were no objections to Mahmood being sentenced in his absence. "It may well be that there will be other proceedings against you over making yourself absent from the proceedings," he told Mahmood.
"On the second day of the trial you fled the jurisdiction by flying from Manchester to Doha and you have not returned. I am told that you are currently in Pakistan."