Defence solicitor jailed after admitting child sexual abuse and repeated attempts to intimidate victims
A criminal defence solicitor has been jailed for nine years and nine months after admitting a series of child sexual abuse offences and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Suleman Baig, 40, of Grimsby, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on 26 January 2026 after pleading guilty to 15 offences relating to the abuse of two 13-year-old girls. The charges included sexual assault, inciting children to engage in sexual activity and making indecent images of children.
The court heard that Baig paid the girls hundreds of pounds in exchange for explicit photographs. He concealed cash around the family home, including money hidden inside toilet rolls in the bathroom. In total, the girls were paid between £500 and £600 for the images.
The offence escalated beyond online exploitation. Prosecutors said Baig went on to sexually abuse the two girls on around 20 separate occasions. During one incident, the court heard that he told one of the victims to “think about vegetables” in an attempt to distract her while the abuse took place.
When Baig was arrested, police uncovered more than 700 indecent and prohibited images of children stored in apps on his devices. These included edited images created using software, based on photographs he had paid one of the victims to provide.
Prosecutors and police worked together to build the case against Baig, which led him to plead guilty to all charges. The admissions meant the case did not proceed to a full trial.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Baig was a practising solicitor who fully understood the seriousness of his actions. Despite this, he continued to groom and abuse the girls and exploited a position of trust by using money to manipulate them into sending explicit images for his own gratification.
When the offending came to light, Baig attempted to interfere with the investigation. Following his arrest on 20 November 2021, he repeatedly breached his bail conditions by trying to persuade victims and witnesses to withdraw their statements and stop cooperating with the police.
Baig was arrested again on 2 December 2021 on suspicion of witness intimidation. Although he initially denied contacting witnesses, he later pleaded guilty to two counts of intending to pervert the course of justice.
After his conviction, Baig was granted bail pending sentencing on the condition that he surrender his passport within 24 hours. The following day, he presented police with an expired passport that had been invalid for almost 20 years. Prosecutors successfully opposed his continued bail, and he was remanded in custody to await sentence.
Police described the investigation as lengthy and complex, and said the courage of the victims and witnesses ensured Baig was held accountable. They said his imprisonment prevents him from causing further harm.