21 February 2023 , 12:14
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A former Tory MP who was jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage boy has been released from prison after serving only half of his sentence.
Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan was sentenced to 18 months in prison for groping the 15-year-old at Southwark Crown Court in May.
The 49-year-old had denied the allegation and challenged his conviction at the Court of Appeal but he lost his appeal in December.
Khan was pictured leaving HMP Brixton in south London on Tuesday morning.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed he had been released.
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Labour won back his Red Wall seat in a major by-election victory last June following his conviction.
Disgraced former Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan has been released from jail (Tony Homewood / SWNS)The original court case heard how he forced the teenager to drink gin and touched his feet and legs, coming within "a hair's breadth" of his privates, as he went to sleep in 2008.
Jailing Khan at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Justice Baker said the former MP had shown no remorse.
"The only regret you feel is towards yourself for having found yourself in the predicament you face as a result of your actions some 14 years ago," he said.
Khan was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on April 11 after a sexual assault trial.
The disgraced 48-year-old was stripped of the Conservative whip in 2021 and resigned as an MP in May 2022 following his conviction.
He denied the complaint made against him and challenged his conviction at the Court of Appeal.
But the appeal was rejected in December with Judge Michael Sweeney saying he had "no doubt" that Khan's trial was fair and his conviction was safe.
Prisoners handed fixed term sentences normally serve around half of their time behind bars and then are released on licence.
They can be sent back to prison if they breach the conditions of their release.
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The Ministry of Justice declined to comment.