A 25-year-old Indian sportsman arrested in the US on charges of sexually abusing a minor girl has avoided trial by pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and would be deported, the authorities said.
Tanveer Hussain, a snowshoe racer from Kashmir, originally faced a felony charge of sexual abuse for what police termed “a passionate kiss” with a 12-year-old girl. He was arrested on March 1 following the incident, which took place on February 27.
The athlete had travelled to Saranac Lake in upstate New York from Kashmir with fellow athlete Abid Hussain Khan to participate in the World Snowshoe Championships from February 23 to 25. He faced two to seven years of jail and a post-release supervision for three to 10 years.
Hussain entered the plea in a Essex County Court, the district attorney in New York State said yesterday.
“Since the first day of this investigation, the child witness has been degraded, called a liar and victimised by people who supported Hussain financially and emotionally,” Essex County Deputy Attorney Kristy Sprague said in a statement.
“This plea of guilty is an admission of guilt, and Tanveer Hussain admitted to his criminal conduct involving a child, which was done under oath and with aid of (legal) counsel and an interpreter,” she said.
Sprague hoped that this admission of guilt by Hussain would alleviate the stress and anguish the child and her family had endured.
The Essex County grand jury had earlier indicted Hussain on one count of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
As part of his plea agreement, the other two counts were dismissed, an official statement said.
Hussain will now be deported as his visa expired in August.
Village Trustee Rich Shapiro and his wife Lindy Ellis, where he has been living since March when the couple bailed him out of jail, said deportation proceedings brought by the District Attorney through the Immigration and Customs Enforcement were vindictive and unnecessary, local newspaper the Adirondack Daily Enterprise reported.
Shapiro said Hussain’s mother had been ill and put off a surgery until he returned and that Hussain’s sister postponed her wedding. He said Hussain wanted to go home and had plans to fly out of the JFK Airport in New York City on Sunday, the daily reported. However, the process of deportation could take months. Shapiro said Hussain made it clear in the court that he had pleaded guilty out of desperation and maintained his innocence in actuality.
To be deported
Tanveer Hussain, a snowshoe racer from Kashmir, originally faced a felony charge of sexual abuse for what police termed “a passionate kiss” with a 12-year-old girl
He was arrested on March 1 following the incident, which took place on February 27
He had travelled to Saranac Lake in upstate New York from Kashmir to participate in the World Snowshoe Championships from February 23 to 25
Hussain will now be deported as his visa expired in August
Tanveer Hussain, Valley snowshoe racer pleads guilty to sexual abuse in US
