Two more Halifax men are jailed for child sexual abuse; Case against former West Yorkshire Police officer dropped

From local Bradford newspaper the Telegraph and Argus

TWO more men have been jailed for child sexual abuse, taking the total to 22 after an investigation by West Yorkshire Police was launched eight years ago.

The force revealed earlier this week that 20 men had been sent to prison for more than 219 years in total after a number of “extremely complex and sensitive” investigations.

Detectives first received a report in 2016 but court restrictions were put in place from an early stage to safeguard legal proceedings as several trials took place at Bradford Crown Court between 2021 and 2024.

West Yorkshire Police has today been able to reveal details of two more men who have been handed time behind bars as part of the same investigations. A spokesperson for the force said: “Legal restrictions and appeals against convictions meant we were unable to share the outcomes until today.”

The outcomes are as follows:

• Zaheer Iqbal, 45, of Halifax, was found guilty of two counts of rape in a trial at Bradford Crown Court in January 2024 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
• Wajid Adalat, 47, of Halifax, was found guilty of rape in a trial which started at Bradford Crown Court in January 2024 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Meanwhile it has also been anounced this week, also from the Telegraph and Argus that another man, a serving police officer, listed in the original magistrates court proceedings has had charges dropped. 

Amjad Ditta, also known as Amjad Hussain, was charged with sexual touching in December 2019.  Ditta was based in the force’s Protective Services Operations and had also carried out work in Bradford.

Today, a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the Telegraph & Argus: “The CPS has a duty to keep all its cases under constant review.

“Following the receipt of further evidence, the CPS concluded that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction and so the case against this defendant has been stopped.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said he is no longer a serving officer with the force. They said his departure was not as a result of disciplinary proceedings.

However, it is known that he has taken his former employers to the Industrial Tribunal claiming “Racial and religious discrimination”. Prior to the arrest PC Ditta was well known in the field of diversity and multiculturalism.