Guilty Plea in Child Rape Case That Shocked Midlands Community
An Afghan asylum seeker has confessed to the rape of a 12-year-old girl in the Midlands town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, changed his plea at Warwick Crown Court to admit a single charge of oral rape against the child that occurred in July this year.
During a brief hearing where Mulakhil was assisted by a Farsi interpreter, he entered a guilty plea for the attack that took place in the Cheverel Street area of Nuneaton between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Tuesday, July 22. However, he continues to deny further serious charges including two additional counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of abduction relating to the same underage victim.
Co-Defendant and Upcoming Trial
Mulakhil is scheduled to face trial in January alongside another Afghan asylum seeker, Mohammed Kabir, also 23, who has denied charges of aiding and abetting rape, intentional strangulation, and attempting to take a child. Both men have been remanded in custody by Judge Kristina Montgomery KC and are next due to appear before Warwick Crown Court on December 12, ahead of their trial scheduled for January 26.
Chilling CCTV footage obtained by the Mail on Sunday from a resident's house near Cheverel Street appears to show a man walking with the white schoolgirl at approximately 8pm, around half an hour before she was subjected to a prolonged assault. The victim is now understood to be receiving specialist care following the traumatic incident.
Political Backlash Over Police Handling
The case triggered a major political controversy when it emerged that Warwickshire Police had advised councillors and officials not to disclose the immigration background of the suspects, allegedly to avoid inflaming community tensions. This approach was accused of constituting a cover-up by both Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch.
Warwickshire Police defended their position by stating they were following national policy in not sharing ethnicity or immigration status. However, the controversy prompted Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to declare that more transparency is needed in information provided by police forces. Since this case, police forces have begun disclosing ethnicity and nationality of suspects in high-profile cases more regularly.
Investigations revealed that both defendants lived in taxpayer-funded rented houses managed by Serco, which holds a £1.9 billion contract with the Home Office to house asylum seekers across the country. The properties were located about 70 yards from each other on adjoining streets in Nuneaton, with each house accommodating around five asylum seekers.
Warwickshire Police confirmed that Mulakhil was arrested four days after the incident and charged the following day. The case has raised significant questions about police transparency and the handling of sensitive cases involving asylum seekers in communities across the UK.
