An Afghan asylum seeker who abducted a 12-year-old girl and filmed himself raping her has been jailed for 15 years. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was found guilty of rape, child abduction, taking an indecent video and two counts of sexual assault at Warwick Crown Court last month. He admitted a second count of rape before his trial began.
The attack in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, in July sparked large-scale anti-asylum protests, with demonstrators marching along the high street holding St George's crosses and union flags. Some participants wore clothing bearing Nazi imagery.
Sentencing on Friday, Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said the victim continued to suffer trauma and medical issues. She noted that Mulakhil had targeted the girl after meeting her earlier in the evening and that CCTV showed him asking her age, with her falsely claiming to be 19. The judge stated, 'The jury's verdict leaves no doubt that you knew she was aged under 16.'
Mulakhil, who arrived in the UK on a small boat four months before the offence, claimed he believed the girl was 19 and that she initiated their encounter. His defence counsel said he fled Afghanistan due to Taliban threats and had been awaiting asylum determination.
The court heard that after the attack, the victim was left alone in a dark park, distressed and hypervigilant. Mulakhil was also ordered to serve an extra 12 months on licence. A co-defendant, Mohammad Kabir, was acquitted of all charges.
