Barons Court Man Jailed for Sexual Offences at Sussex School
Former sports coach Ajaz Karim given ten year sentence for assaulting six young girls
Ajaz Karim, 63, a former sports coach at Christ's Hospital School near Horsham, was found guilty on Thursday 19 April of nine counts of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault against six girls aged 14 to 18, between 1985 and 1993 following a two-week trial at Brighton Crown Court.
He had been convicted on 13 April, following a two-week trial at Hove Crown Court and was remanded in custody for sentencing.
He will be a registered sex offender for life and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court notice,
The prosecution followed an investigation by detectives from the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit who arrested Karim in June 2016 after officers had received information for the first time earlier that year.
Detective Constable Rebecca Wilde said: "All the complainants were pupils of school age and some did not appreciate at the time of the touching, that it amounted to indecent assault, despite each of them stating that they felt extremely uncomfortable when the touching took place. It was clear that Karim used his position as a member of staff and his role as a sports teacher to use massage as a subterfuge for sexual touching.
"We are glad that the six victims, who had the courage to come forward even after all this time, have now seen him face justice."
Sussex Police said it has had full co-operation from management at the school throughout this investigation.
August 20, 2018