When power and protection collide: Ex-Mayor accused of helping son hide rape evidence

Former Bracknell Forest mayor Naheed Ejaz (Courtesy: The Times)

• Ex-mayor Naheed Ejaz charged with perverting justice in son's rape case
• Ejaz accused of helping son hide phone with alleged assault evidence
• Case sparks debate on accountability and ethics in public office

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Naheed Ejaz, once a Labour Party mayor in Bracknell Forest, Berkshire, has been charged with perverting the course of justice after prosecutors told a UK court she helped her son hide evidence tied to a serious sexual offence. The details, heard at Winchester Crown Court, have shocked the local community and grabbed headlines across Britain.

According to the prosecution, police went to Ejaz’s home in the early hours of September 12, 2024, seeking to arrest her son, 41-year-old Diwan Khan, on suspicion of rape. Officers allege Ejaz deliberately delayed letting them in, giving her son time to conceal his mobile phone, the device believed to contain a video of the alleged assault before police could act.

Prosecutors told jurors that Ejaz spoke to her son in Urdu as officers waited outside, a language the arresting officers did not understand. During this time, Khan is said to have switched phones, handing police a device that did not contain the crucial video. The original phone, prosecutors said, was likely to hold key evidence of a sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl.

The court heard harrowing testimony from the alleged victim, who described being given vodka laced with MDMA before losing consciousness. When she woke up in the back of Khan’s car with no clothes on, she said he showed her a video of the assault and threatened her to remain silent.

Khan has pleaded not guilty to rape but admitted to perverting the course of justice by concealing the phone from police. Ejaz, 61, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge against her. Her defence argues that she acted out of maternal instinct, unaware of her son’s behaviour.

Ejaz served as the first Pakistani-Muslim mayor of Bracknell Forest from May 2023 to May 2024 and stepped down from her council seat in October last year amid the controversy. The claims have triggered widespread reaction in the area, with many locals expressing shock that a former public representative could be associated with accusations of this seriousness. Advocates for victims and those standing with the complainant have supported the move to bring the case to court, saying it reinforces the principle that no position or influence puts a person above the law. Police have said the investigation is still active and have appealed for patience as the legal process unfolds.

As the case progresses, it is expected to do more than examine the specific charges. It is also likely to prompt broader reflection on accountability, the use of power, and the ethical boundaries that are tested when personal relationships collide with the demands of justice.