(Picture: Hampshire Police)
A former mayor stalled police officers so her son could hide incriminating evidence on his phone after he raped an unconscious 15-year-old girl.
Labour Mayor Naheed Ejaz, 61, was slammed by a judge for trying to cover up her son’s crime after he raped the teenager while she was blacked out.
Ejaz refused to let police officers into her home for over a minute and a half and spoke Urdu to her son, Diwan Khan, so he could hide his phone which contained damning evidence.
Jailing the former Mayor of Bracknell, a judge told Ejaz that she ‘chose to protect’ her 41-year-old son despite knowing that his crime involved an ‘underage girl’.
(Picture: Ollie Thompson/Solent News)
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The judge added that because of her actions, ‘there was a real risk Khan might have avoided prosecution for the rape of an unconscious child’.
A court heard today that the girl failed her GCSEs and tried to kill herself following the attack.
Prosecutors previously said Ejaz let her ‘mother’s love’ cloud her judgement and hindered police at her home in Bracknell with a ‘conspiracy of silence’.
She helped her son ‘conceal’ his phone, which is said to have had the sex attack on it. It was never recovered.
Ejaz was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and was today jailed for three years at Winchester Crown Court, Hants.
Khan was jailed for 12 years.
(Picture: UKNIP)
She will be released no later than 14 months into her sentence to serve the rest on licence.
Sentencing Ejaz, His Honour Judge Rufus Taylor said that she had shown ‘no remorse’ for her offences.
The judge said: ‘You, Naheed Ejaz, may not have known initially why he wanted you to hide [the phone], but your son told you in Urdu ‘Some motherf***r girl has lied about her age to me’ and you chose to protect him.
Judge Taylor said Ejaz knew it ‘involved an underage girl’.
The judge continued: ‘Due to your actions, there was a real risk Khan might have avoided prosecution for the rape of an unconscious child.’
Judge Taylor accepted that Ejaz made a ‘spontaneous decision’ in this incident.
He noted that a character witness described her as an ‘advocate for women’s rights’.
In a victim impact statement read out today, the victim said: ‘The actions of Mr Diwan Khan have massively affected me and my family’s lives.
‘At the time of the incident I was still in school and about to do my GCSEs.’
The victim said that she missed a lot of school after the rape.
She continued: ‘This made me fail my GCSEs, and not being able to get into a course I have always dreamed of doing.
‘My mental health has been all over the place due to flashbacks, not being able to sleep.’
Khan – who was Consort of the Mayor during his mother’s tenure – was convicted of raping the 15-year-old girl. He had already admitted to perverting the course of justice in relation to hiding his phone.
Who is supporting Metro’s This Is Not Right campaign?
Metro is being supported by several charities and organisations in our bid to raise awareness of violence against women.
Women’s Aid
Women’s Aid, the formal partner of This Is Not Right, is the UK’s national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children.
Randip Thompson, Director of Income Generation and Engagement at Women’s Aid, says: ‘Women’s Aid is proud to be supporting Metro’s This is Not Right Campaign. There is currently an epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in this country, which society needs to come together and actively challenge if we are to overcome it and protect women from abuse.
‘The media has a pivotal role to play in ending VAWG, through spreading awareness of this gender-based abuse and empowering the public to take action against it. Campaigns like This Is Not Right are invaluable for positively changing narratives around abuse and ensuring that survivors feel validated and supported.’
Refuge
Refuge, the UK’s largest domestic abuse organisation, works to support thousands of women and their children overcome the impacts of abuse.
Abigail Ampofo, interim CEO of Refuge, says: ‘Despite the horrific scale of VAWG that we are witnessing, this devastating, systemic issue is still not talked about enough.
‘Refuge will be supporting Metro on the launch of their new awareness-raising campaign as we continue on our mission to actively challenge harmful and pervasive societal attitudes around VAWG, recognising that how media write about and report on these crimes and the social issue of misogyny impacts us all.
‘We must all stand together against VAWG and domestic abuse, and we look forward to working with Metro to shift perceptions and show survivors that support is out there.’
White Ribbon
White Ribbon is the UK’s leading charity engaging men and boys to understand their role in ending violence against women and girls.
White Ribbon UK, says: ‘As the global symbol for ending violence against women and girls, it’s important that the White Ribbon is visible and raises awareness of the importance of preventing violence against women and girls across society.
‘The work that Metro has committed to doing in paying close attention to the way they report violence against women and girls is really important, and contributes to a shift in understanding about the responsibility every single person, especially men and boys, have in creating a world where women and girls can live free from the fear of and of violence.
‘By positively engaging male readers, we can provide space where they can better understand the prevalence and impact of gender-based violence on women and girls and learn strategies to become allies.’
End Violence Against Women (EVAW)
EVAW is a coalition of more than 160 feminist organisations and experts from across the UK, working to end violence against women and girls in all forms.
Deniz Uğur, Deputy Director of EVAW, says: ‘Media reporting has a huge influence on attitudes about violence against women and girls, which in turn influences behaviours and shapes access to justice and support. It’s crucial that reporting reflects the scale of gender-based violence, connects individual women’s stories to the systems that enable this abuse, identifies the root causes of male violence and treats our stories sensitively and with dignity.
‘By informing the public, reshaping narratives, holding institutions and perpetrators to account and highlighting support services available to victims and survivors, Metro’s campaign can play a powerful role in ending and preventing violence against women and girls.
‘This is a pivotal moment for change – women and girls deserve better.’
Killed Women
Killed Women is an organisation and network for the bereaved families of women who were killed by men, who work to protect women’s lives and ensure justice.
Julie Devey, Chair and Co-Founder of Killed Women, says: ‘We at Killed Women value the support and reporting of issues surrounding Violence Against Women and Girls by Metro.
‘As a campaigning network of bereaved families we have a deep understanding of the suffering of victims and co victims in this area of crime and misuse of power by men.
‘Everyone has a role to play in bringing about change to create better and safer communities for women. This is not a feminist issue, this is a societal issue and one which demands that men play their part too. Men and boys need to be on board with creating a tidal change in the way women and girls are viewed and only then will we begin to embark on becoming a safer country. Talking about VAWG issues and challenging one another openly is how Metro can help bring this problem to light.’
The Circle
Founded by singer-songwriter and activist Annie Lennox, The Circle is a global feminist organisation committed to standing in solidarity and action with women facing violence and injustice across the world.
Raakhi Shah, CEO of The Circle, says: ‘The relentless epidemic of violence against women is abhorrent and we, at The Circle, are working tirelessly with our grassroots partners and changemaker activists to address this injustice. We are delighted to support Metro’s This is Not Right Campaign, which seeks to shine a spotlight on the issue of violence against women and show how we can all contribute, through collective and individual actions to bring about real meaningful change.
‘Joining together in solidarity with campaigns like this, can and we hope will, make a difference to the lives of women and girls here in the UK and worldwide.’
Woman’s Trust
Woman’s Trust is a mental health charity providing free counselling and therapy for women who have experienced domestic abuse.
Heidi Riedel, CEO of Woman’s Trust charity, says: ‘The time for a national conversation about the escalating level and multifaceted impact of violence against women and girls is long overdue.
‘For too long, the violence and abuse has been treated either as individual incidents or as a criminal justice problem. This has left women with a system they don’t trust.
‘Set up by a group of domestic abuse survivors and counsellors who realised there was nothing to address the emotional and psychological trauma caused by domestic abuse, Woman’s Trust has supported tens of thousands of female survivors over the last three decades or so.’
‘It’s our hope that This Is Not Right will encourage bold conversations at national, policy, local and community level. The survivors of abuse and the women and girls of the UK deserve better.’
Rape Crisis England & Wales
Rape Crisis England & Wales delivers specialist services to those affected by sexual violence and abuse, and aims to educate, influence and make change.
Ciara Bergman, Rape Crisis CEO, says: ‘Ending violence against women and girls requires a whole societal response including challenging and changing the harmful attitudes, practices and policies which enable it to happen in the first place, and to continue virtually unpunished.
‘The way we talk about, depict and report on violence against women and girls matters. Media reporting should accurately and consistently reflect not only the scale and impact of sexual violence and abuse experienced by women and girls, but also how normalised and tolerated it is within society.
‘Half of all rapes against women are perpetrated by the victim-survivor’s partner or ex-partner, and yet this issue is woefully under-reported. Naming and ending rape culture is a vital component of any societal response to sexual violence and abuse, and that’s why we’re so pleased to support Metro’s This Is Not Right campaign, which aims not just to highlight the issue but to empower readers to be part of the change.’
Southall Black Sisters (SBS)
SBS is a leading ‘by and for’ Black, minoritised and migrant women’s organisation addressing domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) from these communities.
Selma Taha, Executive Director of SBS, says: ‘To end the scourge of VAWG, it is vital for the media to step up and take responsibility. For too long, mainstream media narratives have reinforced the culture of victim-disbelief and contributed to the trivialisation of VAWG.
‘The detrimental impact of this narrative is exacerbated for Black, minoritised and migrant women, who face disproportionate levels of VAWG due to additional barriers to support created by structural discrimination, hostile environment policies and institutionally racist practices. The media’s reproduction of stereotypes and misinformation, along with the erasure of these voices and experiences from public discourse, further exacerbates the problem.
‘We welcome the This Is Not Right campaign and its intention to adopt an intersectional approach in its coverage. It is crucial that the campaign considers the impact of law, policy, and practice on Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors and holds the government accountable for any exclusions of these communities from its plans to halve VAWG. This can help ensure that Black, minoritised and migrant women and girls aren’t left behind.’
AAFDA
AAFDA – Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse – was founded in 2008 to provide expert advocacy and peer support to those bereaved by domestic homicide, domestic abuse related suicides and unexplained deaths.
Frank Mullane, Founder and CEO of AAFDA, says: ‘We wholeheartedly support the Metro campaign calling out the huge problem of violence against women and girls.
‘For nearly 20 years, we in AAFDA have been working to both highlight the brutal truth about the prevalence and recurring nature of VAWG and to increase and improve interventions which prevent it.
‘Most of this violence and abuse does not get formally reported and family, friends and community members usually get to hear about it first. But they are often uninformed as regards to the characteristics of this abuse and how they can respond in ways to keep the victim and themselves safe.
‘The Metro campaign serves a critical purpose, which is first to help raise awareness in the community of the nature of this sickening societal affliction. Everyone really should do their bit to keep women and girls safe and that starts by becoming informed about how to do this.’
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with an extended licence period of five years, for the rape.
It was heard Khan raped the young girl after she ‘blacked out’ from the MDMA that he supplied and put in vodka for her to drink.
The teenager woke up in the backseat of his car with no clothes on and she could not remember what had happened.
However, Khan showed her the video that he filmed of him having sex with her, choking and slapping her in the face.
Khan, who appeared alongside his mother for official functions, threatened her by messaging her to say that he would show her mother the video if she said anything and that she ‘belonged’ to him.
He even sent her the video and told her that he would ‘slit her throat’ if she told anyone.
Ejaz and Khan were both found guilty after a six day trial earlier this year.
Prosecutor Ed Wylde previously told the court they had been speaking in Urdu when the police arrived on September 12 2024 so that they could discuss what to do with the phone.
Mr Wylde said that Ejaz and her son had not mentioned the word phone when they were speaking in Urdu because the word is the same and would have ‘given it away’ to the police.
On police body-worn cameras, her son could be heard saying the ‘big bell’, and Ejaz replied, ‘keep silent, I know’.
Mr Wylde said: ‘We can’t be sure that Ms Ejaz had any clear idea of the trouble he was in at that time, but a mother’s love for her son will stretch some way, and in this case it stretched into criminality.’
Defending Ejaz today, Clare Evans spoke about the impact that the case has had on her: ‘She is a prisoner in her own home effectively, hopefully that’s something that will abate as the sentence is passed.’
Ejaz was Mayor of Bracknell Forest for 2023/24, with Khan assisting her as Mayor’s Consort on occasions.
She had recently finished her year as Mayor at the time of the offence in September 2024.
Ejaz had raised five children and had set up her own taxi business that she mostly used to help transport people with special needs.
Khan had joined the business as a chauffeur during Covid, dealing with many of the bookings.
Defending Khan, Nadia Chbat claimed that hiding the phone ‘didn’t have an impact on [the victim’s] ability to say ‘These things happened to me”.
Khan will serve eight years in prison before a parole board can consider whether it is safe to release him.
He was given a three year concurrent sentence for perverting the course of justice, and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order of 20 years along with an indefinite restraining order against the girl.
Khan must also comply with a notification requirement for the sex offenders register indefinitely.