Man jailed 20 years for sexually abusing child in West Yorkshire

A man has been jailed for sexually abusing a child more than 30 years ago.

Yusuf Kayat, 54, was found guilty of 17 offences relating to the sexual abuse of a child between 1989 and 1992 following a trial at Leeds Crown Court today (5 February 2025) and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, with an additional year on extended licence.

The CPS prosecuted Kayat, from Batley, West Yorkshire, following an investigation by West Yorkshire Police.

The court heard the victim was in primary school, aged just 10, when she first met Kayat.

Kayat, who was known to the victim as ‘Kosh’, groomed the victim, driving her around in his car and buying her gifts, including alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis.

After gaining her trust, he had sexual intercourse with the victim in various locations including in his car. As the abuse progressed, he would tell her to perform sexual acts on his friends in a derelict building. Sometimes she was expected to have sexual activity with several men one after another. Afterwards they would ignore her but laugh and joke amongst themselves.  

When presented with the large amount of evidence compiled by the prosecution, the jury found the defendant guilty of a string of offences.

Julia McSorley, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said: “Yusuf Kayat used a young vulnerable child for his own sexual gratification and passed her around to others to do the same.

“Not only has he burdened the victim with the traumatic and lasting effects of his offending but by denying what he did to her, he has also forced the victim to relive the awful events she experienced during the trial. The prosecution team, in collaboration with West Yorkshire Police, was able to build a strong case to present to the jury, who found Kayat guilty.  

“My thoughts are with the victim of these appalling crimes. The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank her for the incredible courage she showed in giving evidence, which was instrumental in bringing the offender to justice.

“The CPS remains dedicated to pursuing justice for victims of child sexual abuse and will continue to work tirelessly with law enforcement partners to hold sex offenders accountable - no matter how much time has passed since they committed their crimes.”  

To deal with some of the more complex and challenging child sexual abuse cases like this, the CPS has established a dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit to share specialist understanding, build strong cases and increase the amount of successful prosecutions.

DCI Oliver Coates of Kirklees District Police, said: “We welcome the sentencing of Yusuf Kayat for multiple serious sexual offences against a victim who was only 10 years old when he began to abuse her.  

“Kayat groomed and then committed some extremely serious sexual offences against the victim for a number of years.    

“I want to praise her courage for supporting the police investigation into this man’s appalling offences against her, and then working with us and our partners in the CPS to bring him before a jury.  

“Thanks to her bravery, this man has now been made to pay for what he did to her and will be in prison for a number of years to come.”  

He added: “This case again demonstrates that the passage of time need not be a barrier to justice for victims and for the police and CPS to bring those responsible of such offending before the courts.

“We continue to urge any victims of sexual abuse in Kirklees who may not have made reports to the police, for whatever reason, to contact us.  

“Specially trained officers will listen, investigate, and do what they can with partners to support you.”