Jawwad Akram, 54, told he faces jail term for child sex offence

Jurors at Harrow Crown Court were told Jawwad Akram took his victim to Scotland to have sex with her

A 54-year-old married man from north London has been told he faces a lengthy jail sentence after he was found guilty of having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

Jawwad Akram, from Edgware, had denied sexual activity with a child.

But Harrow Crown Court heard DNA evidence showed he was the biological father of a baby she went on to abort.

He claimed he believed the girl was 19 and he had no contact with her once he found out her true age in September, but he was convicted by jurors.

He was also found guilty of two counts of facilitating the travel of another person with the view to exploitation, from August to October last year.

He is set to be sentenced on 4 May.

'Sad case'

Akram's trial heard the 15-year-old had gone missing in August when her family refused to allow the defendant to marry her.

He took the girl to stay in a rented flat in Dundee, Scotland, the trial heard, and the girl's mother did not know where she was until more than a month later.

In September, staff at a London hotel called police when they became concerned about the age difference between Akram and the girl when they checked in, jurors were told.

He was arrested and bailed under the condition that he did not contact the girl, who was put into foster care the next day.

The court heard the girl then went missing from her foster family's home in Kent in October and Akram had made arrangements to take her back to Scotland.

Judge Rosa Dean, who described it as "a sad and sensitive case," told the jury: "The defendant has obviously been convicted of some very serious offences and will be facing a custodial sentence of some length; just how long that will be, I will have to reflect on."