Disgraced former Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan released from jail

Khan was pictured leaving HMP Brixton, in south London, around 10.15am today (February 21).

The 49-year-old was given an 18-month sentence in May last year after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy at a party in 2008.

The former Tory MP was met at the exit of the category C jail by friends who helped him carry his belongings to a car parked nearby before he was driven away.

According to guidelines for the Sentencing Council of England Wales, offenders serving sentences of less than two years are released from prison at the halfway point.

Offenders are then on licence for the remainder of the sentence but may be recalled to prison if they breach the conditions of their licence.

At the end of that period they will be subject to supervision.

Wakefield-born Khan became the first Conservative MP to win the city seat in nearly 90 years during the 2019 general election.

Khan caused an upset by defeating Labour's Mary Creagh.

The seat was previously considered part of Labour's so-called 'red wall' - constituencies that have traditionally voted in Labour for decades.

Khan formally quit his seat last year after being found guilty and suspended by the Tories.It triggered a by-election which was won by Labour’s Simon Lightwood in June.

Jurors at Khan’s trial were told how the defendant groped his victim as he lay in his bunk bed following a party at a house in Staffordshire 15 years ago.

Khan was a friend of a friend to the family hosting the gathering.

Khan, who was aged 34 at the time, was described as being “charming and chatting” with other guests.

Khan admitted he had been talking to the boy earlier in the evening about sexuality.

The victim said Khan had told him he was a good-looking and intelligent boy.

Later on he dragged the boy up the stairs, had been play fighting with him, forced him to drink gin and encouraged him to put pornographic films on his computer.

Minutes after the lights went out, the boy said he realised Khan was standing by his bunk and was feeling his leg before moving closer to his groin area.

He said that he heard Khan’s breathing become deeper as he moved around the bed to continue touching him.

It was at this point that the boy ran out of the bedroom towards his parents’ room in a distressed state.

Police were called and the youngster gave a statement but did not want to take the matter further out of embarrassment.

This was until 2019 when the complainant, now an adult, saw that Khan was standing in the election to contest the Wakefield seat.

The victim, who cannot be identified, said he waited until after the election because he did not want to influence the outcome.

Khan maintained throughout the trial that he did not sexually touch the boy.

Sentencing jundge, Mr Justice Baker said: “I do not accept you have remorse, rather the only regret you feel is towards yourself for having found yourself in the predicament you face as a result of your actions.”

The judge told Khan he must serve half of the sentence in custody before being released on licence.

Khan has continued to maintain his innocence.

Attempts to challenge Khan's conviction and sentence were dismissed by Court of Appeal judges last December.

His lawyers argued that his conviction was "unsafe" because the case against him was "weak" and was bolstered by "bad character evidence" in the form of a man who alleged he had been sexually assaulted as an adult by Khan in Pakistan in 2010.

They also said his jail term was too long for the offence and should have been suspended.

Both appeals were dismissed by three senior judges.