- Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Haider Siddique, 22, admitted sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl
By: Pramod Thomas
A disgraced former West Midlands student police officer is facing jail for sexually assaulting teenager.
Haider Siddique, 22, admitted grooming, abducting and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday (31), The Independent reported.
He also pleaded guilty to inciting a child to commit a sex act.
The West Midlands force branded his crimes as ‘sickening’.
“This is a case where the harm is in the most serious category. It seems there is grooming behaviour here and potentially abuse of trust,” Judge Tom Rochford was quoted as saying by Birmingham Mail.
According to reports, Siddique joined West Midlands police as a student officer in August 2021, and he was on long-term sick leave since November that year.
While on leave, a bus driver spotted him acting inappropriately towards the victim in March 2022.
The driver informed the force what he had witnessed which led to an investigation and identification of the victim.
“At the time of these offences Siddique was a serving student police officer. It involved a period in March 2022. She was 13 and he was 21. She was a child and is still of course a child,” Mark Brookes, prosecuting, was quoted as saying by Birmingham Mail.
“It is the prosecution case during that month she was abducted by him and on two separate occasions he had sex with the complainant.”
The court also heard that Siddique and the victim visited Stechford police station together to lodge a complaint about her mother disciplining her.
The victim’s mother told police that her daughter’s behaviour had changed from being friendly to ‘swearing and saying horrible things’ in the previous few months.
A search of victim’s bedroom recovered some of her clothing and DNA samples which later matched with Siddique’s.
According to Brookes, the teenager went to Boots in Birmingham and received contraceptive advice by giving a false date of birth. A search of both their phones have recovered numerous messages including 1,068 sent by Siddique.
When interrogated, the victim said that they met on social media and engaged in a relationship which was based on talking about religion. She also admitted having sex with him twice.
Deputy chief constable Vanessa Jardine said: “This was a sickening criminal act by a former student officer, who appeared to be offering support to this vulnerable young girl but was in fact grooming her sexually.”
“The force had conducted a robust and meticulous investigation, and is committed to rooting out any member of staff who engages in criminality.”
West Midlands Police said the officer resigned while in custody. Siddique was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on March 3.
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