A security guard
working for a fashion retail outlet has been jailed for 14 years after he was
found guilty of forcing teenage shoplifters, especially girls, to perform sex
acts on him.
Zia Uddin, 27, caught
four girls, all aged 15, shoplifting and told them he would let them go if they
complied with his demands.
Investigators found
that he had a stash of condoms in the control room at the Kingston-upon-Thames
branch where he worked, Metro UK reports.
He also kept their
telephone numbers and would call them after they had left the shop, hoping for
further sexual encounters.
Uddin was found guilty
of rape and four counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual
activity following a trial at Kingston Crown Court.
Colleagues at
Brooknight Security became suspicious when Uddin did not fill in the correct
paperwork when shoplifters were caught and requested that CCTV footage was
deleted.
One victim said she
only did as Uddin asked because ‘there was no other choice.’
Judge Georgina Kent
also banned him from working with children indefinitely. Graham Partridge, from
the CPS, said: ‘Zia Uddin preyed on young girls in a vulnerable situation.
‘He abused his
authority by telling them to perform sexual acts for him on the promise that
they would then be released without their parents or the police being informed
about what they had done.
‘Having worked in
security, Uddin was also well aware of the CCTV camera ‘blind spots’ and took
advantage of these in order to carry out his activities.
‘Telephone evidence
also showed that Uddin had made a number of personal phone calls to other girls
accused of shoplifting after acquiring their phone numbers through the
incidents.
‘During the trial
Uddin claimed all the victims were liars and refused to take responsibility for
his actions.’
A Primark spokesman said: ‘The nature of these
offences is shocking and distressing. ‘Zia Uddin abused the trust that was
placed in him by his employer, Brooknight Security, and by us, by taking
advantage of his victims, who were young and vulnerable.’