Bury Child Abuser Jailed
A fast food shop worker from Bury who sexually abused 18 girls has been jailed for four years.
Iranian national Homayon Narouzzad preyed on the girls, all aged between 12 and 15, while working at the Family Guy take away shop in Whitefield.
The 34-year-old lived in a flat above the shop and after befriending one girl, 13, got her to act as his "pimp'' by inviting other schoolgirls to his address so he could carry out the abuse, Bolton Crown Court heard.
Word also got around other youngsters as he paid the girls between £10 and £50, also bribing them with food and cigarettes in return for touching and kissing their feet while carrying out a sexual act.
Some of the girls have been left psychologically scarred by the abuse, the court heard, with one saying she wanted to kill herself and another constantly washing herself because she felt "dirty''.
Narouzzad came to the UK in 2000 seeking political asylum from Iran. He had no previous convictions and has since been granted leave to remain in the UK. He pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to 25 counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, between April 2010 and February this year.
Jailing the defendant for four years and giving the him an extended eight years on licence after his release, Judge Maureen Roddy told him: "Each of them has suffered significant psychological harm to them that is far more difficult to treat and cure than physical scars.
"The impact on your victims is devastating. The innocence of those victims was destroyed by your actions, you had a corrupting effect on them, paid them for their services. There's a danger in people thinking, 'just touching the feet'. What you were doing to these girls was not trivial in any way.''
Det Insp Jane Little, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "Narouzzad abused his position to prey on young and vulnerable girls. He reeled them in by offering them free food for friendship before progressing things further by offering cash for sexual favours.
"This one man was responsible for the abuse of at least 18 young girls and possibly many more and I understand the justifiable concerns of the girls' families and the wider community. I want to reassure everyone that when Narouzzad's dirty secret came to light we launched a multi-agency investigation to bring him to justice.''
