Former British Airways pilot Kwame Yeboah, 30, has been jailed for eight years and four months after driving hundreds of miles from his home in Reading to rape a 12-year-old girl he groomed online. Yeboah, a former England youth basketball international, met his victim on the video chatroom Omegle before exchanging explicit messages and calls via Instagram.
Grooming and Manipulation
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Yeboah, of Drake Way in Reading, initially believed the girl was 17, but she later sent him photos of herself in school uniform and mentioned being grounded. Despite these clear signs of her true age, he continued to pursue a sexual relationship, sending emotionally manipulative messages 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."
Prosecutor Louise McCloskey described how the victim's mother alerted police after learning from a friend that her daughter had been communicating with a man online and had sex with him. The mother was told the man was in his 30s and drove a black Mercedes, with his number saved under a false name in her daughter's phone.
The Attack
Yeboah travelled to the Wirral and booked a hotel room nearby. The victim climbed out of her bedroom window to meet him in his car. After initially hugging him, Yeboah told her: "You're dainty, aren't you?" He then drove around before suggesting they "go to a car park and do stuff," stating he was "horny." He sexually assaulted her and raped her twice in his car, moving locations when another car pulled up nearby.
After the attack, Yeboah became anxious about the victim obtaining emergency contraception and messaged her: "You lied to me. They would have asked you a bunch of questions before they gave it to you." She replied: "I just don't want you to be mad at me. I love you. I wouldn't lie to you. Don't text for a bit, social services are at my house."
Court Proceedings and Sentence
Yeboah pleaded guilty to three counts of rape of a child under 13 and assault of a child under 13 by penetration. Judge Gary Woodhall noted the grooming behaviour, stating: "You sought to manipulate or emotionally blackmail your victim in the context of meeting up for sexual acts." He sentenced Yeboah to eight years and four months in prison with an additional year on licence, plus a 15-year restraining order and lifetime registration on the sex offenders' register.
Defending, Richard Pratt KC said Yeboah had "fully accepted that all that happened to him, let alone what happened to her, was his fault and his alone." He described Yeboah as a dedicated family man and talented basketball player who had represented England at youth level.
