Asylum seeker jailed in the UK for raping 12-year-old
An Afghan man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping a 12-year-old girl in the UK. This case sparked local protests and political controversy because his asylum seeker status was not initially disclosed by the police.
Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was convicted after a trial at Warwick Crown Court for raping a child under the age of 13 in Nuneaton, central England, last July.
The defendant, who previously pleaded guilty to one count of rape of a child under the age of 13, was also found guilty of kidnapping a child, sexually assaulting her and filming the victim to take indecent images of a child.
Judge Kristina Montgomery said the victim told Mulakhil he was 19, but “there is no doubt you knew he was under 16”.
He sentenced Mulakhil to 15 years in prison, saying that “automatically makes you liable for deportation.”
Mulakhil, who arrived in the UK on a small boat four months before the crimes last July, showed no emotion during the hearing and looked at the lawyers and the judge, who appeared to be listening intently to the interpreter sitting in the dock.
Mulakhil came to the UK when he was 22 after fleeing Afghanistan, his lawyer said.
“He was planning to go to university to study economics, but for various reasons, he, like his family, became the focus of the Taliban, which is ultimately why he fled the country.
“His brother did the same and eventually went to another country. He entered this country and upon arrival he requested political asylum and was waiting for his request to be decided.”
Mulakhil told police he believed the girl was 19 and that she had initiated her first sexual experience.
Anti-immigration activists have seized on other criminal cases, predominantly involving young men and especially asylum seekers staying in hotels, arguing that they pose a danger to nearby communities.
But pro-immigrant groups say ultra-nationalist groups and opportunistic politicians are deliberately trying to exploit and inflame tensions for their own purposes.
Before and during the hearing, a protest was held outside the court, where a banner reading “Stop the invasion, end immigration” was hung over the railings leading to the court.
The man’s attacks initially triggered large-scale protests in Nuneaton.
with PA
