A CONVICTED sex offender who kidnapped a six-year-old girl from an East Lancashire street and shoved her in the boot of his car so he could molest her has been jailed for life.

Perverted Imran Khan, 34, had previously been locked up for nine years for abducting a 12-year-old girl off the street and raping her, Burnley Crown Court was told.

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His latest victim, who was dumped upside down in a wheelie bin after refusing to touch Khan’s genitals, told police: “I got stolen.”

Jailing him, Judge Simon Newell said: “This is every parent’s worst nightmare. It is obvious that this was planned, and the purpose was to satisfy your perverted sexual desires, and the victim was an innocent and vulnerable six-year-old.”

Judge Newell told the court that one of the most disturbing aspects of the case was Khan, of Pendle Street, Accrington, known previously as Imran Pervez, had completed a sex offenders treatment programme just months before.

CCTV footage was played to the court of Blackburn-born Khan ‘cruising’ around a Burnley estate, for around 20 minutes, looking for the chance to abduct a young girl, after a trip to the gym.

He pleaded guilty to kidnap, committing the kidnap with intent to carry out a sexual offence and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity. Khan must serve a minimum term of six years and 215 days.

But Judge Newell said even then it would be the decision of the Parole Board over whether the defendant was released, and he believed that was unlikely ‘for many years’ given his propensity to commit such offences.

“In the last seven years, on two occasions, you have taken a child from streets in East Lancashire for your own sexual desires,” said the judge.

“One was 12 and the other was six. One was raped and the other was released - both have been traumatised.”

Peter Barr, prosecuting, said the girl, despite her ordeal, had been able to complete a drawing, illustrating what had happened to her.

But the court heard that the experience had had a marked effect on the ‘friendly and chatty’ girl. Her mother left the court as details of the kidnapping were outlined.

Mr Barr said Khan had pulled his Vauxhall Astra over and asked the youngster if she could retrieve a ball which had gone underneath his car. She had been playing on her bike with her brother at the time.

But Khan then picked her up, with the girl recalling that she was ‘proper squeezed’, before being dumped in the Astra’s boot and driven away.

Video footage captured Khan’s progress as he drove across the area and turned into a country lane off Manchester Road, Hapton.

Mr Barr said the defendant folded back the seat of the car and exposed himself before putting on a condom. He asked the girl to touch him but she refused so she was driven away.

The girl was dumped in a wheelie bin in Whitefield Street, in the main part of Hapton. She managed to tip the bin over and escape, before running into two slightly older children. They took her to their parents, who alerted police.

The girl’s mother had already discovered her daughter had disappeared, leaving only her bike behind, and had to wait for officers to tell her the youngster was safe, the court heard.

DNA evidence from the girl’s clothing was later found in Khan’s boot, after he was arrested two days later.

Jeremy Lasker, defending, said it was conceded that Khan was a ‘dangerous’ offender, but he had pleaded guilty to the offences and saved the girl and her family the further ordeal of being involved in a trial.

Speaking after the case, DCI Pete Simm, head of Lancashire Police’s major investigation team, said: “Like the judge said, this was every parent’s nightmare. Khan is a perverted and predatory offender.”

Det Insp Jim Elston said: “I must commend the courage and resilience that the victim has shown, particularly given her age.

“I hope that now Khan is behind bars that the family are able to start moving forward with their lives and the victim is able to try and enjoy a normal, happy childhood which she fully deserves, despite this trauma.”

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RAPIST Imran Khan was well-known to police and probation officers after carrying out a vile sex attack on a 12-year-old girl he picked up off the streets.

Then known as Imran Pervez, he had enticed three young girls into his car, with a friend, outside the Vue cinema in Blackburn.

Once the older girls had left the car, the 12-year-old was left alone with Pervez, who locked the vehicle’s doors and drove off.

He ripped a necklace from her and covered her mouth, telling her he had a knife, as she screamed for help.

The girl was driven to a secluded location and raped by Pervez.

Burnley Crown Court was told that she only managed to escape after feigning illness. She ran from the car screaming.

Pervez, who had denied any involvement in the rape but changed his plea before the case came to trial, was jailed for nine years. He had previously served a four-year term for dealing drugs.

Prosecutor Peter Barr said Pervez, who would later change his name to Khan, was released from prison in October 2013.

And Judge Simon Newell said: “There was hope for you, for the future. You were on licence and the subject of a sexual offences prevention order. You had the support of the probation service and your family.”

The court heard that he had undertaken a sexual offenders’ treatment programme and, according to experienced probation officials running the course, appeared to have demonstrated insights into his offending behaviour.

And it was hoped that he had developed sufficient coping mechanisms to control his urges and avoid further offending in the future.

He completed the course last March and by May had carried out the kidnapping of the six-year-old girl in Burnley.