British Airways First Officer Kwame Yeboah has been jailed for eight years and four months after driving 200 miles from his home in Reading to the Wirral to rape a 12-year-old girl he met on the online chatroom Omegle. The 30-year-old former England youth basketball international groomed his victim on Instagram before committing the offences in his Mercedes car on Merseyside.
Details of the Offences
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Yeboah first contacted the child on Omegle in late 2025. Although she initially told him she was 17, the prosecution argued that her appearance 'would have made it clear' she was significantly younger. They exchanged explicit messages and video calls on Instagram, and she sent him pictures of herself in school uniform and mentioned being grounded.
On the day of the assault, Yeboah travelled to the Wirral and booked a hotel room. The victim climbed out of her bedroom window to meet him in his car. He drove her around, then stopped in a car park where he touched her sexually and raped her. When another car pulled up, he moved to a second location and raped her again, also forcing her to perform a sex act.
Victim's Initial Reaction
The victim's mother alerted Merseyside Police after learning from a friend that her daughter had been speaking to an older man and had sex with him. When first questioned by police, the girl was dismissive, saying: 'I don't know why you had to tell the police. It's not like I've been raped or anything.' When told she might need emergency contraception, she replied: 'No, I'm not getting it. I'll keep the baby.'
She later confirmed to detectives that she had met Yeboah on Omegle about three months earlier. He had followed her on Instagram, and they exchanged sexualised messages and pictures. Yeboah used emotionally manipulative language, such as: 'I can't do this no more, because you're not meeting me. I can't call because it makes me sad, because I can't see you.'
Defence and Sentencing
Yeboah admitted three counts of rape of a child under 13 and one count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration. He had no previous convictions. Defence barrister Richard Pratt KC said Yeboah had accepted full responsibility, stating: 'In her victim personal statement, she refers to nightmares in which the defendant is blaming her for the impact on his own life. Nothing could be further from the truth. He has, throughout his time in custody, fully accepted that all that happened to him, let alone what happened to her, was his fault and his alone.'
Pratt noted Yeboah's background: born in Ghana, a talented basketball player who represented England at youth level, and a trained first officer with British Airways. He said Yeboah had made a 'grave error' in seeking comfort through social media.
Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: 'She was 12 years of age. She did initially tell you that she was 17... However, during those conversations, she sent you images of herself in her school uniform. She referred to being at school and not being an adult. All of this was indicative of her true age.' He added that Yeboah's language was 'designed to emotionally blackmail and manipulate this young girl.'
Yeboah was jailed for eight years and four months, with an additional year on licence. He was given a 15-year restraining order banning contact with the victim and will be on the sex offenders' register for life.
