Jail for lonely businessman who plied girls with gifts

Gulam Bobat handed over thousands of pounds to one girl to encourage her to get into his car with him and word spread among her adolescent friends and others what he was offering.

Over a three-year period, he picked girls aged 13 to 15 because he misguidedly enjoyed their company not because he was a serious sexual predator, Ken Green representing him told Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

Bobat, 64 of Princess Street, Batley, was jailed for 12 months after he admitted six charges of sexual assault and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and barred from working with children.

Sentencing him, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC told Bobat: "You took advantage of their vulnerability and lack of maturity."

Word spread among them if they went for a ride in his car he would give them money, cigarettes, alcohol and even cannabis in exchange for being kissed on the head or touched over their clothes.

But the judge had read a number of references including from local MPs Greg Mulholland and Mike Wood who spoke well of him as an honest and industrious man.

"From one point of view it is a very sad case. The sexual gratification you obtained from this must have been very small, on the other hand the harm you have done to these girls is very difficult to tell at this stage and the harm is perhaps more in what you offered them, in that respect your culpability is very great."

Nicholas Askins, prosecuting, said the first complainant was befriended by Bobat in 2005 and met with him a dozen times during which she said he gave her thousands of pounds as well as cigarettes and cannabis. He had kissed her on the top of her head.

By 2007 his reputation had spread and girls would flag his car down knowing what was on offer.

One girl aged 13 said she felt dirty after he kissed her on the forehead after giving her and three of her friends a lift in his van.

When arrested in 2008 he had 835 cash on him and seven mobile phone Sim cards.

Mr Green said for a long time Bobat, a grandfather, had been in denial about his behaviour and had not even felt able to tell his wife.

Mr Green said it was more a case of a lonely man without friends in a non-affectionate marriage.

"He had the opportunity over this period of time to satisfy his wants if he was a serious sexual predator but the offences did not escalate."