Yusuf Kayat, 54, from Leeds has had his sentence increased by four years after the Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP referred his case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
The court heard that the offences took place more than 30 years ago between 1989 and 1992. Kayat, who was known to the victim as ‘Kosh’, met the victim when he was 19 years old, and she was 10 years old.
Kayat started the offending by grooming the victim, driving her around in his car and buying her gifts, including alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis.
After gaining her trust, he had sexual intercourse with the victim in various locations including in his car.
Kayat also forced the victim to perform sexual acts on his friends. Sometimes there would be multiple men, and Kayat would reward the victim with food from takeaways.
In a Victim’s Impact Statement, the victim said that since the offending she has experienced constant fear, anxiety, flack backs and panic attacks. The impact on the victim’s life has been profound and devastating.
The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said
Yusuf Kayat’s crimes were abhorrent. His grooming of the victim was highly calculated, who was only 10 years old when the abuse first began, before carrying out multiple sexual offences over several years.
I welcome the court’s decision to increase Kayat’s sentence. Today my thoughts are with Kayat’s victim & her family.
On 5 February 2025, Yusuf Kayat was sentenced to 20 years and a further one year on licence, after he was found guilty on 17 charges at Leeds Crown Court.
On 7 May 2025, Kayat’s sentence was quashed and substituted with a 24-year sentence and a further one year on licence after it was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
