A man who raped a schoolgirl in Bradford more than 20 years ago has been jailed after a forensic breakthrough linked him to the crime.
Abdul Qayum had originally been arrested and interviewed over the rape of the 14-year-old girl at his then flat in Jacob Street, Bradford, on 9th June 2004.
The victim had been approached by Qayum, who was a passenger in a car driven by his friend. After trying to persuade her to come with them, he ordered the girl to get into the car.
She was given cannabis and driven to Qayum’s flat, where she was given alcohol to drink. His friend put her to bed in a bedroom at the flat after she felt unwell, and Qayum, who was aged 31 at the time, entered the room and began shouting and swearing at her before raping her.
He tried to prevent her from leaving but she managed to call the police and escape from the flat.
Qayum was arrested at the scene along with his friend.
The friend was eliminated from the investigation and Qayum denied the offence. He was released on bail while enquiries continued.
Officers liaised with the Crown Prosecution Service, and it was assessed that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction. The case was finalised and Qayum was released from his bail.
He was subsequently re-arrested in June 2023 by officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Major Investigation Team (MIRT) after new evidence was found linking him to the offence.
The case was among the non-recent rape and serious sexual assault cases reviewed by Operation Recall – a team within MIRT working closely with forensic science partners to make best use of advancements in DNA technology to progress investigations.
Male DNA had been found on swabs taken from the victim that was a match to Qayum. He gave no comment when interviewed by officers and was subsequently charged with the rape in July 2024 following liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service.
He pleaded not guilty but was convicted following a trial at Bradford Crown Court.
On 24th April 2026, Qayum, aged 53, of Folkestone Street, Bradford, was sentenced to 14 years custody and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
In a victim impact statement read to Bradford Crown Court, she said: “I was a 14-year-old child, and you had no right to take me away from me living a normal happy life, but you did. No amount of time you serve will ever be enough for suffering I have endured, but I can say I am glad and relieved that I have finally got the justice I deserve.
“I know now that I should not blame myself, there is only one person to blame and that is you. It has taken twenty-two years to get justice whilst you lived a normal life. I feel as though I am the one who has been serving a sentence from the damage you caused.
“What you did will never leave me, but I can finally move on after some closure and start to heal the best I can after it has consumed me for so long.”
Detective Sergeant Richard Ord, of the Major Investigation Review Team, said: “Qayum preyed on the victim, who was a vulnerable young schoolgirl, in the worst of circumstances, and she has had to live with the impact of his actions for all these years.
“He denied the offence at the time, and unfortunately the evidence available then was not sufficient to progress to a charge. Thankfully, advances in forensic science meant we were able to reopen the case on the basis of new DNA evidence and progress the investigation to see Qayum held criminally responsible.
“We hope it will provide some degree of comfort to the victim to know that he has now finally been brought to justice.”
