Man jailed for campaign of abuse on young child

A paedophile who carried out a campaign of abuse on a young child has today been sentenced to 27 years in prison with eight years on extended licence.

Mohammed Saddique, 48, began preying on the child when they were just 10 years old and the sexual abuse continued for several years until April 2024 when the victim bravely came forward.

An investigation was launched by our Child Abuse and Vulnerable Adults Unit (CAVA) who arrested Saddique for a number of offences including rape, sexual assault and making indecent images of a child.

He was charged and appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to 19 offences. These were:

• Five counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Nine counts of rape
• Two counts of sexual assault
• Making indecent images of a child
• Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
• False imprisonment

Today (Thursday 9^th January), Saddique appeared at Teesside Crown Court where he was sentenced to 27 years in prison with eight years on extended licence.

An indefinite restraining order was put in place to protect the victim and Saddique will also be on the sex offenders register for life. He was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Melanie Phelps said: “Saddique preyed on a young and vulnerable child for his own twisted gratification. His crimes will no doubt have a lasting impact on the victim for the rest of their life.

“I’d like to commend the victim for their bravery in coming forward to disclose the horrific abuse they suffered over many years as well as the courage they have shown throughout this process. I hope the sentence passed today can give them some comfort that a dangerous predator is now behind bars.

“For anyone out there who has experienced or is currently experiencing abuse, please know we are here for you. We will listen to you, we will believe you and we will support you along with our partner agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.”

It’s never too late to report an incident to police; we have specially trained officers who will support you throughout. You can report at any time of day or night online via the Cleveland Police website or by phoning 101.