Man jailed for drugging friend's hot chocolate and then sexually assaulting her

A MAN has been jailed for six years for drugging his friend's hot chocolate and then sexually assaulting her while they were on a drive together.

Junaid Iqbal-Wahid laced his friend's hot chocolate with MDMA after they stopped so that she could go to the toilet. He went to pray at a nearby mosque when she returned to the car and drank the contents of the cup.

She started feeling unwell soon after and she requested that he take her to the hospital. But he continued to fondle her while she lay powerless.

The woman, a Muslim, said she had plans to marry another man. But the incident that occurred in August 2017 has affected her marriage plans.

In a statement she said: "I feel angry and I can't believe he did something like this to me. I feel like I've let myself down.

"I'm not the same person as I was since that night and I don't like to go to social gatherings. This came to me when I noticed a change in myself in social engagement.

"I have anxiety and shame. It wasn't my fault, I never asked for this to happen to me. I still lose sleep over it.'

She said she no longer trusted men, and she feels sick whenever she sees someone who resembles Iqbal-Wahid.

"I am no longer trusting of men when in public and when I see anyone that resembles him I feel a great deal of anxiety. I feel my heart beating faster and I have the biggest heart pain. I feel physically unwell when I'm in large crowds.

"I am no longer trusting in relationships. I don't know if I'll ever be able to be in a relationship again. It's affected my future outlook.

"I wanted to have a family but now I'm not sure. I want the defendant to know how he has affected me, in more ways than he probably thought he could."

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Iqbal-Wahid, of Longsight, Manchester denied any wrongdoing.

But he was convicted of administering a substance with intent and sexual assault.

Judge Tina Landale told him: “You took advantage of a young woman who you knew was searching to find a husband. You knew she was a Muslim and her chastity as a single woman was to be kept safe until she was married.

''I find there must have been significant planning. You do not use drugs yourself, nor do you consume alcohol. Yet you deliberately bought an illegal class A drug, namely MDMA, in order to stupefy.

''You have not revealed where you purchased the drug or how it came to be in your possession. But you brought it with you to fulfill the purpose of the drug in order to achieve sexual activity on the prearranged meeting.

“I don’t accept this was an opportunistic offence and the only reason you had the drug with you was in order to stupefy her."