A man who sexually abused a young girl has been jailed for over 13 years.
Imran Ijaz, 39, of Lascelles View in Harehills, Leeds, fled to Scotland while on trial.
He was sentenced in his absence after failing to attend the fourth day of his trial at Leeds Crown Court in August, West Yorkshire Police said.
He was arrested in Edinburgh later that month and returned to Leeds to be remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing last week.
Ijaz was convicted of assault of a child by penetration, causing a child to watch a sexual act and six counts of sexual assault.
He was sentenced to 13 years and two months in prison.
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“Ijaz sexually abused this vulnerable young girl on several occasions in circumstances which were a huge betrayal of trust,” said Detective Inspector Emma Wight, of the Leeds District Safeguard Unit.
“His actions had a significant traumatic impact on the victim and his family, and we hope that his conviction for these offenses and the heavy sentence he received will help to reassure them as they continue to move on with their lives.
“This success is the result of the excellent work of DC Nicki Vincent who painstakingly built a comprehensive picture of the evidence that saw Ijaz convicted in court.”
DI Wright added: ‘He tried to escape justice midway through his trial by fleeing to Scotland but was found and brought back to face the consequences.
“We will always treat reports of breaches such as these very seriously and do everything in our power to support victims and ensure those responsible are held accountable.
“We hope that the hard work and dedication of specialist protection officers in bringing offenders like Ijaz to justice will give victims of other similar offenses the confidence to come forward.”
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