❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Labour Party mayor obstructed a police raid to help her son hide a phone linked to the rape of a 15-year-old girl.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Naheed Ejaz, former Mayor of Bracknell, and her son, Diwan Khan.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on September 12, 2024, at their home in Bracknell, Berkshire, with Ejaz convicted of perverting the course of justice in February 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “A conspiracy of silence not to give the police the phone.” – Prosecutor Ed Wylde.
🎯IMPACT: Both Ejaz and Khan were found guilty of perverting the course of justice, with Khan also convicted of rape.
A Muslim former British Labour Party mayor has been found guilty of perverting the course of justice after helping her son conceal evidence related to his rape of a 15-year-old girl. Naheed Ejaz, 61, who served as mayor from 2023 to 2024, delayed police entry to her home for over 90 seconds on September 12, 2024, allowing her son, Diwan Khan, 41, to hide his mobile phone. The device reportedly contained video footage of the assault.
Khan was convicted at Winchester Crown Court of raping the teenager, which took place in June 2024. Prosecutors said he gave her vodka laced with the illicit drug, MDMA, causing her to black out. She awoke unclothed in the back of his car with no memory of the incident. Khan filmed the attack and later threatened to show the video to her mother and to “slit her throat” if she reported him.
During the police visit, Ejaz and Khan spoke in Urdu to avoid detection, and did not use the word “phone” as it is the same in both languages. Prosecutor Ed Wylde labelled the incident “A conspiracy of silence not to give the police the phone.”
Ejaz claimed the delay was only to wake her son so he could speak to officers. The court rejected this, ruling her actions were intentional obstruction.
Khan, who acted as his mother’s Mayor’s Consort during her term, admitted perverting the course of justice by hiding the phone but denied rape. He was convicted on the rape charge as well. Both Ejaz and Khan await sentencing following the trial.
The case comes amid broader concerns about child rape and child sexual exploitation in Britain involving Muslim asylum seekers and grooming gangs. Recent reviews have exposed police failures in handling grooming gang cases, including a National Crime Agency operation that led to reopening over 1,000 historic investigations due to overlooked evidence and improper closures.
Reports have noted disproportionate involvement of perpetrators from Pakistani backgrounds in some organized exploitation networks, alongside institutional reluctance to act over fears of racism accusations. In 2025, the police watchdog admitted senior officers failed to protect victims in Rotherham, while a government advisory panel for grooming gang inquiries was disbanded in early 2026, prompting criticism from survivors.
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