Saeed Salashoor, 39, of no fixed address, has been jailed for two years at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The court heard he followed a 13-year-old girl as she walked to a friend's house after school in Edge Hill and offered her £100 for sex.
The victim, who recorded part of the incident on her mobile phone, reported Salashoor to the police. He was arrested after being detained by the girl's father the following day near Liverpool Women's Hospital.
What happened in Edge Hill
On June 25 this year, at around 3.30pm, the girl was walking to a friend's house when she noticed Salashoor on the opposite side of the road. He approached her from behind, and she increased her pace. Peter Wilson, prosecuting, said Salashoor shouted a comment in a foreign language before asking if she was busy that day. He then asked if she wanted to have sex with him for an hour for £100 and told her to come for half an hour for £100.
When she declined, Salashoor mumbled something under his breath. She continued to her friend's address, where she phoned her father. The matter was reported to police, and the father spotted Salashoor near Liverpool Women's Hospital the following day, detained him, and called 999.
Victim impact statement
In a statement read to the court, the girl said: "I'm afraid go out on my own or with friends. I'm scared and nervous I might be approached by him or he might look for me. I'm embarrassed about having to talk about this and having others talk about me." She added: "I felt very isolated and afraid. He told me he wanted to have sex with me. This made me feel sick, disgusted and frightened. It was only when he saw the camera that he backed off."
She said she felt panicky and nervous, especially when going out, and felt distrustful of others, thinking of what happened and what could have happened over and over. She said she felt it would affect her for a long time to come.
Defence and sentencing
Under interview, Salashoor told police this was a set up after being shown the video footage, but acknowledged that what he said was inappropriate and said he wasn't in the right frame of mind due to cannabis use. He has five previous convictions, including 26 months for burglary in October 2024 and four months for nine counts of theft in February this year.
John Weate, defending, said this was Salashoor's first offence of this type, with no previous convictions of a sexual nature. He said Salashoor came to the country in 2016, had his asylum claim refused in 2019, and had started the appeal process. Weate said Salashoor was fearful of potential deportation, which was a matter for the Home Office. He said Salashoor had been homeless for a substantial period and had committed acquisitive offences to get by. He said Salashoor was currently free from any methadone script, felt his mental health was in a far better place, and was receiving medication for anxiety and depression within the prison estate. He asked the court to note that Salashoor apologised for his behaviour, was ashamed, and had relatives in the country, with his mother and sister residing in the USA.
Sentencing, Recorder Richard Thomas KC said: "You followed a 13-year-old girl who was walking alone after school close to Liverpool city centre. You caught up with her and you began pestering her for sex and offering her money for sex." He noted the video showed Salashoor had followed the girl into an area of grassland under trees, and the audio showed him offering £100 for half an hour of sex. He said the offence had had a very real effect on the victim and her family, with the girl now scared and nervous about being out on her own and needing a lift by car to and from school.
Recorder Thomas said he was satisfied the only sentence was immediate imprisonment, and noted there may be deportation proceedings, which were not a matter for this court. Salashoor, who appeared to be wiping away tears during the hearing, was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for the next decade.
