Man jailed after driving woman to designer outlet against her will

Abdul Mahmood, described as “obsessive,” has been jailed for 18 months after harassing a former colleague and using a deceitful excuse to drive her across the country against her will. The case was heard at Bradford Crown Court, where His Honour Judge Colin Burn told Mahmood he was “very lucky not to have been charged with an offence of kidnap.”

The court heard that Mahmood, 38, of Cornwall Terrace in Bradford, had convinced himself he was in a romantic relationship with the victim, a former co-worker and friend. He was already under an indefinite restraining order banning any contact with her and had only recently been released from prison for previous offences against the same woman, including harassment, careless driving, and assault by beating.

Prosecutor Jessica Lister explained how, shortly after his release in January, Mahmood resumed contact with the victim, bombarding her with unwanted messages. The victim felt unable to report him to police due to threats he made about sharing intimate images of her. She repeatedly blocked him and made it clear she wanted no further contact, but Mahmood persisted.

On March 25, he told the woman he wanted to apologize and offered to delete the intimate images from his phone in her presence. Feeling pressured and seeking closure, she agreed to meet him in his car. However, once she got in, Mahmood drove off and became verbally aggressive, accusing her of being unfaithful and calling her degrading names such as “slag” and “home wrecker.”

Mahmood claimed he was taking her to the Trafford Centre, but after missing the turn-off, said they would instead go to the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet in Ellesmere Port. During the journey, the victim called her doctor in a bid to distract Mahmood, which only intensified his anger. When they arrived at the outlet, she tried to exit the car, but Mahmood physically restrained her by grabbing her arm. Eventually, she managed to escape and reported the incident to the police.

Mahmood was arrested at his home the following day. During police interviews, he denied the allegations and refused to answer most questions, giving “no comment” responses. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment by breaching the restraining order.

In a victim impact statement, the woman described how Mahmood’s actions had left her unable to sleep, caused her to lose weight, and made her feel isolated and unsafe. She said she had left Bradford temporarily to escape his harassment and was even considering moving permanently due to fears he might break into her home.

In mitigation, Mahmood’s barrister, Fuad Arshad, admitted that his client’s behavior was “wholly unjustified” and driven by sexual jealousy. He described Mahmood as an emotionally immature man who lacked insight into the impact of his actions. Arshad said Mahmood had expressed regret and disappointment in himself and recognized the need for help with his thinking patterns.

Judge Burn, in passing sentence, noted that Mahmood resumed his harassment campaign within weeks of being released from prison and manipulated the victim into meeting him through what amounted to blackmail over the explicit images. The judge said the breaches of the restraining order were too serious to be punished with anything less than an immediate custodial sentence.

Mahmood was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with an additional nine months to be served concurrently. He was also made subject to a new restraining order lasting until further notice.