Rotherham paedophile Ishtiaq Khaliq has jail sentence extended

Ishtiaq Khaliq was described as a "serial sex offender"

A convicted paedophile has been jailed for a further two years after pleading guilty to another child sex offence.

Ishtiaq Khaliq, from Rotherham, was jailed for 17 years in 2016 after being found guilty of one rape and three indecent assaults.

He was sentenced for another historical case of indecent assault and theft at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday.

The 40-year-old was told the impact of the offence on the victim would be "lifelong".

"Khaliq was a serial sex offender who intimidated his victims," said Stuart Cobb from the National Crime Agency.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was aged between 13 and 14 when the offences took place between July 2000 and 2002.

Khaliq assaulted the victim in the stairwell of a block of flats in Holywell Place, and took her mobile phone.

"This incident has had a profound and long-lasting impact on the victim who I commend for coming forward to report what happened to her," Liz Fell from the Crown Prosecution Service said.

"It is because of her evidence that we were able to bring Khaliq to justice."

Khaliq, who was aged between 17 and 19 at the time of the offence, was investigated as part of the Operation Stovewood inquiry into allegations of non-familial child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

The offence came to light in 2017, one year after Khaliq and seven other men were found guilty of the sexual abuse of three girls in Rotherham between 1999 and 2003.

He appeared in court via a videolink from prison, where it was heard preparations had been under way for his release in April 2025.

'Lifelong impact'

Mitigating, Rebecca Tanner asked Judge David Dean to consider a concurrent sentence, arguing Khaliq had faced an "unjustified delay".

He was first interviewed by police about the offence in January 2018.

Judge Dean said delays in the case were "beyond my comprehension", but ordered Khaliq's sentence for indecent assault to be served on top of his existing jail term.

He was given a one-month sentence, to be served concurrently, for the mobile phone theft.

Sentencing, Judge Dean told Khaliq: "I understand what has been said about the plans you have made [for release].

"I'm afraid they count for little in the context of this particular offence. The impact on the complainant is going to be lifelong."

Judge Dean said the court was "obliged" to sentence Khaliq as a youth because he could have been under 18 when the offence took place.

A change in the law since it took place also meant he avoided the more serious charge of rape, Judge Dean added.