IMMIGRATION officials have been blamed for allowing a convicted South Lakeland sex pest to go on the run and re-offend.

Cumbria Police say they were not told by the UK Border Agency when Raju Ahmed, a Bangladeshi illegal immigrant, was released from jail after committing two sex assaults in 2005.

The 28-year-old casual kitchen worker went on to prey on a 15-year-old girl while she was travelling alone on a train. He has now been given a 12-month jail term for the assault.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron described the communications failure as ‘outrageous’.

Chief Supt Andy Slattery, who is in charge of public protection in Cumbria, told The Westmorland Gazette that Ahmed, who was due to be deported, absconded on the day he was released from prison after serving a 90-day sentence for the 2005 assaults. Both were carried out on buses in Ulverston.

“Unfortunately, we were not informed by the immigration service that this individual had been released from prison. He was told to report to the immigration centre in Manchester so that deportation arrangements could be made but immediately went on the run.

“As soon as we were told Ahmed was missing we did all we could to track him down, including issuing a Europol alert, but he remained on the run until being caught for the latest offence.

“If he had been deported this further offence would not have happened.”

Ahmed, of Main Street, Grange-over-Sands, had originally travelled to Britain from Dubai 2002 but overstayed his six-month visa. He evaded immigration officials for three years until he was caught during a raid on an Ulverston restaurant in 2005, after which police linked him to the bus assaults.

Last week, at Southwark Crown Court, he admitted assaulting his latest victim while she was travelling on the West Coast Mainline.

Mr Farron told the Gazette: “This attack was an appalling experience for this young girl to endure and the fact that it came about as a result of an immigration failure is outrageous.

“Here there was someone who was known to be a risk but who the system let go because it didn’t work as it should.”

Gareth McKeever, Westmorland and Lonsdale’s prospective Conservative candidate, said: “Ideally this individual ought to have been sent back after he breached his visa. He certainly should have after completing his prison sentence.

“The immigration system needs tightening up and there certainly needs to be more co-operation and co-ordination between the police the Border Agency and the prison authorities to ensure failures like this don’t occur again.”

Simon Stirling, prosecuting, told Southwark Crown Court that Ahmed struck on July 21 this year, while on a train from Preston, Lancs, to London Euston.

His victim, aged 15, had been dropped off by her parents in Lancashire to made the journey south on her own.

The barrister said: 'She sat down on the seat next to the window to wave goodbye to her parents.

“After a short period of time her attention was drawn to this defendant standing in the aisle.

“He continued to look at her for what she describes as ages.”

Eventually he sat next to her, started quizzing her about her personal life, and caressed her hand.

Mr Stirling said: “He asked her where she was from, if she had a boyfriend, if he was strong, if she was ever home alone.

“He leant closer to her, almost touching her legs, and began touching her hand.'

He tried to charm her by saying: “Your hands are very soft.”

She pulled her hand away and slid it under her magazine, but he continued to stroke it over the pages.

Finally the ticket inspector and train manager appeared and she plucked up the courage to get up but Ahmed refused to move aside, forcing her to squeeze past him.

He was eventually arrested on a platform at Euston after she raised the alarm.

Referring to the 2005 incidents, the prosecutor said: 'He put his arms around them, attempted to kiss them and stroked their legs and buttocks.

“On the second occasion he tried to put his hands down the witness's trousers.”

Ahmed was jailed by Barrow-in-Furness magistrates on August 15 of that year.

Passing sentence for the latest offence, Judge Anthony Pitts said: “Your behaviour causes me considerable concern. There are serious aggravating features.

“There is a pattern of offending on public transport, young women were targeted.

“The other aspect is his apparent unawareness and complete failure to understand the seriousness of his offending.

“Sexual touching was as far as it went, but it was in circumstances of intimidation and fear.”

Ahmed will have to sign as a sex offender for three years.