Man jailed for stalking 13-year-old for 15 minutes

A man has been jailed for nine months for stalking a 13-year-old girl in his car after spotting her at a bus stop.

In what is thought to be a legal first, 43-year-old Bahram Hekmat was convicted of stalking despite only trailing the girl for a period of 15 minutes.

Hekmat saw the victim on Ponders End High Road in Enfield on the afternoon of Saturday September 24 2016 as she waited for a bus.

The defendant pulled up and started making sexual gestures at the victim by blowing her kisses and beckoning her to get in his car.

When the schoolgirl boarded the 279 bus northbound, Hekmat followed in his vehicle and again made sexual gestures at the girl when she alighted at the junction of Hertford Road and Green Street.

He then threatened to continue following her unless she returned his advances.

Stalker jailed at Wood Green Crown Court
Stalker jailed at Wood Green Crown Court

Hekmat sped off when the victim alerted a member of the public - he was tracked down by his number plate when the victim's mother called the police.

He denied but was convicted of a single charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress after a four-day trial at Wood Green Crown Court and jailed for nine months on January 5.

Prosecutors believe the fact that Hekmat was convicted despite the activity taking place over such a short period means the case could set a precedent for similar incidents.

Detective Constable Darren Barlow, of Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: "This sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence committed - a disgusting act of public indecency which has left a young girl shaken and very upset.

"The effects of Hekmat's behaviour continue to have a detrimental impact on the victim who at the time of the offence was just 13 years old.

"If you commit an offence on London's transport network, we will pursue and arrest you. I urge anyone who experiences unwanted sexual attention to report it to police.

"Sexual offences are always taken very seriously and reports of incidents of this nature are investigated thoroughly."

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