February 2015
WaterWorld staff praised for helping to send pervert dad to jail for groping girl in rapids
BOSSES at a popular water park have praised staff who helped secure a jail sentence for a father-of-four who groped a teenage girl on one of their rides.
Lifeguards and security staff at WaterWorld at Festival Park responded quickly after 36-year-old Shumon Ahmed was identified as the man who had touched the 15-year-old’s bottom on several occasions.
They immediately removed Ahmed from the water and called the police.
Ahmed, of Walsall, admitted sexual assault on the day of his trial and last week Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court jailed him for eight months. He has also been banned from returning to the attraction
WaterWorld’s general manager Tim Kiely said: “It was thanks to the due diligence of the team, including our vigilant lifeguards, that this man was arrested and ultimately sent to prison.
“We have worked very hard since the park opened 26 years ago to keep incidents like this to a minimum, installing CCTV cameras and putting stringent checks in place.
“We welcome over 400,000 visitors a year and will continue to be extremely vigilant to ensure WaterWorld remains a safe and fun environment for families to visit and enjoy.
“Our thoughts are with the young lady who was the target of this man’s unsolicited behaviour, and we hope that with the support of her family and friends she can recover from the incident.”
