THE Isleworth Crown Court in London has sentenced an Indian man to three and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a young girl.
Nikunjkumar Vaidh, 36, from Prince Regent Road, Hounslow, was on Monday (16) found guilty of two counts of molesting a child under 13 years, after a trial at the same court in December last year.
The court was told that Vaidh had sexually touched the girl—who was known to him—on two occasions, at her home in west London.
“Nikunjkumar Vaidh is an opportunistic abuser who took advantage of situations where he had won the confidence of others, and used them to carry out two sexual assaults on a young girl,” said Emma Rogers, from the Metropolitan Police West Area Safeguarding Team, who led the investigation.
On both occasions, Vaidh targeted the girl in the absence of other adults.
After the second assault, he told the girl that what had happened was “top secret”, and she couldn't tell anyone about it.
The girl, however, confided in her mother, who immediately confronted Vaidh and informed the police.
When arrested and questioned, Vaidh had denied the allegations and accused the girl of making up the claims.
Said Rogers: “I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the girl and her family who had the confidence to speak to the police and support this investigation to its conclusion.”
The girl received specialist counselling and support by specially trained officers throughout the investigation, the Met Police said.