The British-Pakistani former Labour peer Lord Ahmed has been jailed for more than five years for the attempted rape of a young girl and the sexual assault of a boy aged under 11 in the 1970’s.The 64-year-old peer had been found guilty of the offences last month.During the trial in Sheffield Crown Court, jurors were told that Lord Ahmed – born Nazir Ahmed in Mirpur in Azad Kashmir – had carried out the assaults when he was a teenager in Rotherham in South Yorkshire.In 2020 Lord Ahmed resigned from the House of Lords, days before a disciplinary committee recommended that he be expelled after finding that he had sexually exploited a woman suffering from mental health issues in 2017.Tahira Zaman revealed that Lord Ahmed had “taken advantage” of her after she approached him to help her get the Metropolitan Police to investigate a faith healer who she believed was exploiting women.One of the peer’s victims from the 1970’s has now called for him to be stripped of his title.The male victim – who was referred to as “Mr B” in court and who told jurors that his abuse began when he was a young child – told the BBC that peerages were “bestowed upon people that have got some honour, some dignity and he’s got none of that”.“He’s a convicted paedophile and there’s no justice in that”, he added.Only an Act of Parliament can remove his title, but none currently exists.The government has said Ahmed was no longer a member of the legislature since his resignation.Ahmed’s victim’s plea has been supported by other peers as well as the charity Muslim Women’s Network UK. The organization’s co-chair said that Ahmed could continue using his title for influence and personal enrichment after he had completed his sentence.
