Ex-British Airways pilot drove 200 miles to rape 12-year-old girl | UK | News

A former British Airways pilot has been jailed for raping a 12-year-old girl after meeting her on social media and grooming her. In February, former England youth basketball player Kwame Yeboah, 30, from Reading, Berkshire, drove nearly 200 miles from Reading to Merseyside to meet the boy late in the evening. He then paraded her around and raped her three times before taking her to a deserted place.

He first made contact with the boy online in late 2025, Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Wednesday, June 24. She initially told him that she was 17 and their conversation started normally. However, the nature of the subsequent messages and the woman’s appearance when they met in person made it clear that he was much younger and could not consent to any sexual activity with her.

Yeboah sent private photos of herself aged 12 and the conversations became increasingly sexual. He called her twice a week, reassuring her that she was important to him and cared about him.

After raping the child, Yeboah dropped him off near where he picked him up and walked away. The boy later told police he had trouble understanding what was happening and was nervous and confused.

A few days later, a friend of the victim told her mother what happened and the situation was reported to the police. Yeboah was identified using details he gave to the child.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Yeboah answered “no comment” to all questions when he was arrested and interviewed.

He was accused of three counts of rape of a child under 13 and one count of sexual assault of a girl under 13. Yeboah pleaded guilty to all charges on April 22 and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today. He was sentenced to 9 years and 4 months in prison.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Thomas Hanlon, of the CPS Mersey-Cheshire Rape and Serious Sexual Offenses (RASSO) unit, said: “Kwame Yeboah knew from his first contact with this child that she was not the age he initially claimed.

“He talked about school and sent photos of himself in school uniform. When you met him in person it was obvious he was a very young child.

“Despite this, Yeboah deliberately took her to an isolated location and raped her three times there.

“He led the victim to believe that he was in a relationship with someone who cared about him. When in reality, he was an adult man who abused his position and exploited her for his own sexual gratification.”

“This case is the result of the bravery shown by the victim and his family and the careful work of Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Yeboah will also serve on license for another year and will be subject to a 15-year Restraining Order.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Roxana Tusa, from CCSET, said: “Our investigation has proven that Yeboah is a dangerous sexual offender and he will now face a serious prison sentence for his heinous crimes. “He groomed his victim after contacting her online and then traveled to Merseyside to abuse her, only admitting his crime when faced with the case against him.

“We hope that the speedy identification and prosecution of Yeboah will at least offer the victim and his family some peace of mind going forward. I would like to thank them for the strength they have shown throughout our investigation. “We do not underestimate how difficult it can be to report sexual crimes or how important it is that such despicable criminals are removed from society.

“Merseyside Police is committed to protecting children and young people from sexual exploitation and those who wish to harm them.

“We take this opportunity to take this opportunity to say that if you have experienced any form of sexual abuse or know that a child has been abused, please come forward and report it to the police or our partners.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion every step of the way.”