Concerns raised over warnings about former Bracknell mayor’s son before child attack conviction
Safeguarding concerns were shared with party leaders about Diwan Khan but not with local MP James Sunderland
Questions are being raised in Bracknell about who should have known about the danger of taxi driver and mayoral consort Diwan Khan before he committed child rape.
Safeguarding fears about the danger of Khan were revealed to local party leaders, including Tory Cllr Gareth Barnard, in January 2024, but no one passed on the information to his Conservative colleague, James Sunderland MP.
Now, Mr Barnard has asserted that he couldn’t reveal the information due to confidentiality.
Safeguarding concerns about former Bracknell taxi driver Diwan Khan were first raised in January 2024, by the public protection partnership six months before the rape of which he has now been convicted.
Khan, who was sentenced to 12 years at Winchester Crown Court last month, was not only licenced by Bracknell Forest to drive taxis but was serving as the mayor’s consort. His mother, Naheed Ejaz, was the mayor.
But when the danger was discovered in 2024, details were protected so as not to jeopardise any potential prosecution.
The former Conservative MP James Sunderland told the LDRS he would have liked to have known at the time.
Questions are being raised in Bracknell about who should have known about the danger of taxi driver and mayoral consort Diwan Khan before he committed child rape.
Safeguarding fears about the danger of Khan were revealed to local party leaders, including Tory Cllr Gareth Barnard, in January 2024, but no one passed on the information to his Conservative colleague, James Sunderland MP.
Now, Mr Barnard has asserted that he couldn’t reveal the information due to confidentiality.
Safeguarding concerns about former Bracknell taxi driver Diwan Khan were first raised in January 2024, by the public protection partnership six months before the rape of which he has now been convicted.
Khan, who was sentenced to 12 years at Winchester Crown Court last month, was not only licenced by Bracknell Forest to drive taxis but was serving as the mayor’s consort. His mother, Naheed Ejaz, was the mayor.
But when the danger was discovered in 2024, details were protected so as not to jeopardise any potential prosecution.
The former Conservative MP James Sunderland told the LDRS he would have liked to have known at the time.
He claimed: “Not a word was shared with me during 2023 and 2024, despite regular engagement with senior Labour figures.”
Labour Council Leader Councillor Helen Purnell responded, saying: “We were first told about Diwan’s arrest on the 12th of January 2024. The then leader Cllr Mary Temperton insisted on briefing opposition leaders. Bracknell Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens were told as soon as we found out.”
“James Sunderland, former Bracknell MP, inaccurately implied on Facebook that opposition parties had not been told about complaints made against Diwan Kahn in January 2024. This is not true.
“Freedom of Information requests made by Bracknell Conservatives show that all parties, including the Conservatives were briefed.”
In fact, group leaders were told, including Conservative councillor Gareth Barnard, but nobody else, and not the MP.
Cllr Purnell continued: “When this shocking information came to light, Diwan was immediately removed as Mayoral Consort, and as information now in the public domain makes clear, his mother stepped back from her Mayoral Duties.”
“If Bracknell Conservatives did not see fit to inform Mr Sunderland when they were briefed in January 2024, then they must answer why.”
Since then, Cllr Purnell said: “On Tuesday, May 5, responding to this claim, I stated that the Bracknell Conservative group should have advised James Sunderland when they were briefed in January 2024.
“I want to clarify that the information in this briefing was obviously private and confidential meaning that details could not have been shared. All councillors are bound by this confidentiality rule.
“Once information was in the public domain the Conservative group should have been transparent and made it clear that they had been briefed at the time.
“This may have avoided Mr Sunderland maintaining the untrue claim that opposition parties were not briefed. They were, as is public knowledge.”
Cllr Barnard issued a statement, and said: “Cllr Helen Purnell suggested that I should have shared with the former MP of Bracknell information shared about the former Mayor Cllr Ejaz and her consort Diwan Khan during a confidential briefing with other group leaders in January 2024.
“I immediately asked Cllr Purnell to issue a public correction, stating that this was wrong and apologising for making this allegation in public.
“Let me be clear, I am not responsible for the actions of others in this matter. However, I do expect the leader of the council to uphold the constitution of our organisation.
“Consequently, having tried to seek a resolution over a number of weeks, I have no alternative but to make a formal code of conduct complaint against Cllr Purnell. After two plus weeks of this I have had enough.”