iStockA rapist sexually assaulted a teenage girl after having been freed early from jail.
Hamid Zaman preyed on the victim after sneaking into a bedroom at a flat in Edinburgh.
The 46-year-old was also violent with the terrified 13-year-old, who eventually managed to escape.
Zaman fled the capital after the attack in October 2024 before being found in London weeks later.
He pleaded guilty to a sexual assault charge as he appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow.
He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced for this latest crime at a later date.
Zaman was jailed for 12 years in 2015 in Manchester for the rape of a 33-year-old woman, who was also attacked with a brick and a glass bottle.
He was then released early in November 2020.
The court heard how Zaman – who was still subject to a strict sexual harm prevention order – went on to start chatting to a woman online in 2024.
This led to him visiting her home a number of times that year.
Prosecutor Louise Beattie said: “She had no knowledge of his previous convictions or his status as a registered sex offender.”
The 13-year-old victim had been staying at the flat on the night of the attack.
She then woke up in the early hours to suddenly find Zaman beside her on the bed she was in.
He molested the teenager before giving her £10.
Zaman briefly went to another room before striking again. He gave her more cash to keep quiet.
The victim started getting upset.
Miss Beattie said: “Zaman began getting angry, he covered her face with one hand and put the other around her neck.
“He compressed and twisted it to the extent that she struggled to breathe.
“He then moved one hand to cover her mouth to prevent her from making any noise. He grabbed and twisted her bottom lip.”
Zaman swore at her and warned her again not to say anything.
She struggled, but managed to kick out and run to the woman’s bedroom.
The girl screamed: “He strangled and touched me.”
The victim was described as “frantic” and in “extreme distress”.
Zaman claimed the girl was telling lies and said he had no knowledge of where she had got the money from.
He fled the scene. The woman reported what happened – Zaman had gone to London and “significant efforts” were made to trace him, along with help from the Metropolitan Police.
He was arrested on November 17, 2024.
Judge Douglas Brown deferred sentencing for reports.
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