A married father-of-two who sexually assaulted three women at a Nottingham spa has avoided an immediate prison sentence. Zia Khan, 48, targeted a teenage girl and two women in separate incidents at the Village Hotel in Attenborough during April and May 2023.
Khan, from Rivergreen Crescent in Bramcote, approached his victims while they were using the hotel’s jacuzzi and pool area, touching them inappropriately before walking away. Nottingham Crown Court heard that despite his denials and false claims that the women fabricated the accusations, Khan was convicted of three counts of sexual assault.
Prosecutor Anthony Cheung described the incidents in court, detailing how Khan assaulted a teenage girl in the jacuzzi. Initially believing the contact to be accidental, the girl became frightened after it happened again. She looked to a friend for help, prompting Khan to get out and walk away.
In a second incident, Khan inappropriately touched a woman as he passed her entering the water. Later that same day, he assaulted a third victim while they were in the jacuzzi together, reportedly submerging himself and making unwanted physical contact.
The women reported the assaults to hotel staff, and Khan was arrested two days later. Officers found the yellow swimming shorts he wore during the incidents at his home.
Despite his actions, Khan walked free after Judge Michael Auty KC imposed a 12-month sentence suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a 35-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
During sentencing, Judge Auty criticised Khan’s conduct during trial, saying:
“No man worthy of the name ever sexually assaults a woman. It is despicable behaviour which was degrading and humiliating for them.”
He added that Khan’s refusal to accept responsibility and his claims the women had lied showed “arrogance”, although he noted Khan appeared “a different man” during sentencing due to the public exposure of the case.
Defence barrister Laura Hocknell said Khan was “not devoid of insight” and expressed remorse, describing the ordeal as humiliating for her client and claiming he had “taken a long, hard look at himself”.
The judge ultimately decided against an immediate custodial sentence, explaining that probation-led rehabilitation would be more effective than imprisonment alone. However, he warned Khan: “There’s a large part of me that wants to send you to custody… but that would not compensate those victims and there would be no input and intervention from the probation service.”
Khan will now be under supervision as part of the conditions of his suspended sentence. He remains a registered sex offender.
