An Afghan asylum seeker who abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, filmed the assault in July last year, sparking large-scale anti-asylum protests in the town.
Mulakhil was found guilty of rape, child abduction, taking an indecent video, and two counts of sexual assault. He admitted a second rape charge before his trial. The judge, Kristina Montgomery KC, said the victim continues to suffer trauma and medical issues.
The court heard that Mulakhil met the victim shortly after 6pm on the day of the attack. CCTV footage showed them together again after 8pm, during which Mulakhil asked the girl her age. She claimed to be 19, but the judge noted the jury's verdict left no doubt that he knew she was under 16.
After the assault, Mulakhil left the girl alone in a park in darkness. She was distressed and hypervigilant, looking over her shoulder for him. The judge described his culpability as 'at the highest level'.
Mulakhil arrived in the UK on a small boat four months before the offences. His defence lawyer said he fled Afghanistan after being targeted by the Taliban. Mulakhil claimed he believed the girl was 19 and that she initiated the encounter.
The case triggered protests in Nuneaton, where demonstrators marched with St George's crosses and union flags, chanting far-right slogans. Some wore Nazi imagery. A co-defendant, Mohammad Kabir, also an Afghan asylum seeker, was acquitted of related charges.
