An elderly man from Cambridge who sexually abused and raped four girls over a period of longer than 20 years has been jailed.
Sazzad Miah, 83, was convicted of 18 separate counts – six of them rape – after a trial at Cambridge Crown Court last week.
Two of his victims were as young as four, another was aged five – and a fourth was aged 10, the court heard.
Miah was arrested in last October after Cambridgeshire police were informed about the long-term abuse which dated back to 1992.
The defendant, who had denied all the charges, was jailed for 19 years and listed on the sex offenders register for life.
During a 16-day trial, the court heard how he abused one girl over a period of 12 years, between 1992 and 2004, and another for over eight years – between 2004 and 2012.
Each one of the 18 counts carried a jail term of between 18 months and 19 years, which the court ordered should run concurrently.
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At a sentencing hearing in Peterborough last Tuesday, Miah was jailed for 18 years, extended for one year on licence.
He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and an indefinite restraining order.
Detective Inspector Andrea Warren, from the Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit, said: “I would like thank the victims for being so courageous and supporting the investigation.
“I acknowledge how difficult that was for each of them.
“Child abuse is totally unacceptable and we will support victims of such crimes and work tirelessly to bring the offender to justice.”
