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 himself during the assault in July last year, which triggered 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 at Warwick Crown Court last month. He admitted a second count of rape before his trial began. The victim, who cannot be identified, told the court she was approached in a park by Mulakhil and another man, Mohammad Kabir, after playing on swings. Kabir was acquitted of all charges.
Sentencing on Friday, Judge Kristina Montgomery KC said the victim continued to suffer trauma responses and medical issues since the attack. She noted that Mulakhil targeted the girl after meeting her earlier in the evening, and that CCTV footage captured him asking her age, to which she replied 19. The judge said: 'Your victim was particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances and she has suffered significant and ongoing psychological harm.'
Mulakhil, who arrived in the UK on a small boat four months before the offences, told police he believed the girl was 19 and that she had initiated what was his first sexual encounter. His defence lawyer, Marcus Harry, said Mulakhil fled Afghanistan after coming under focus from the Taliban and was awaiting determination of his asylum claim.
The judge described Mulakhil's culpability as 'at the highest level' and ordered him to serve an additional 12 months on licence after his 15-year prison term. The case sparked protests in Nuneaton last summer, with demonstrators marching along the high street holding St George's cross and union flags.
