Man sentenced to life for sexual battery against child

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A Panama City man was given three life sentences Tuesday after being found guilty of sexually battering a child and impregnating her.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, 49-year old Nadir Al Bashir had sex with the victim several times before and after she became pregnant. Analysts verified that DNA samples taken from Bashir, the victim, and the baby showed a 99.99% likelihood that he was the father.

When the Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Lieb cross-examined Bashir and asked if he did have sex with the victim when she was 12 years old, he admitted that he did but believed it was legal.

“So, you decided to have sex with a 12-year-old child? Based on your research you decided to have sex with a 12-year-old child multiple times?” Lieb asked the defendant.

The defendant reportedly replied with “Y’all don’t get it.”

The State Attorney’s Office stated that it took a jury 11 minutes to find Bashir guilty on three counts of sexual battery.

“This defendant will always be a danger to the children in our community,” Lieb said at the sentencing. “He doesn’t believe the law applies to him and he doesn’t think he has done anything wrong; he has shown no remorse.”

The victim also spoke to Judge Brantley Clark during the sentencing.

“It has affected my every day of my life since I was a child,” the victim said. She also stated it negatively affected her relationships with others, caused pain in her family, and led her to being homeless and without her child for a period of time.