Nazir Ahmed Trial Collapses Due to ‘Disgraceful’ Late Disclosure of Evidence

London: The trial of a former Labour peer accused of sexually abusing younger children has collapsed due to a “disgraceful” late disclosure of evidence by the prosecution, a judge has said. Nazir Ahmed was charged with two counts of attempting to rape a girl under 16, indecent assault of a boy under 14, and raping a boy under 16, all alleged to have occurred in the early 1970s, when he was a teenager. He went on trial at Sheffield crown court last month alongside his brothers Mohammed Farouq and Mohammed Tariq, who were charged with indecent assault of a boy under 14.

On Monday 8th march 2021, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC ruled that proceedings should be halted, criticising the conduct of the prosecution and police. A restriction preventing this from being reported remained in place until a further hearing on Tuesday. The late disclosure of material by the prosecution resulted in the subject matter of a cross-examination of a witness being “exponentially expanded”, the judge said. “There is now much more to cover than ever appeared to be the case when this trial started,” he said. The judge also said that he was “extremely concerned” by the alleged failure of the police to follow up “reasonable lines of inquiry” and that he was “unpersuaded” that they had done so.

Read more: Tobi Thomas, Guardian, https://is.gd/JDkiTO