A major investigation has led to a man being convicted for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton in Warwickshire.
From Warwickshire Police:
The rape, which took place near the town centre on July 22 last year, created huge concern and shock in the communities of Nuneaton with the force acting swiftly to ensure the man responsible was caught and held to account as soon as possible.
The girl has shown immense courage throughout the investigation – assisting us as we gathered vital evidence and pursued the case through the courts.
We want to thank her for her courage and for having trust in us to bring the man responsible to justice.
Jurors at Warwick Crown Court today found Ahmad Mulakhil – an Afghan national seeking asylum in the UK – guilty.
The court heard how on the day in question, Mulakhil, 23, came across the 12-year-old in a local park area where she’d been playing.
A short time later Mulakhil was talking to her about her age, and told her he didn’t believe that she was an adult because she was ‘small’.
Mulakhil took her to a patch of grass nearby and raped her, at points videoing himself and her.
The court heard how, after the attack, he took her to a local shop before she spotted a chance to run away and report what had happened.
This sparked an urgent and major investigation, with specialist detectives swiftly identifying Mulakhil and bringing him into custody.
Today in court he was convicted of two counts of rape of a female child under 13, abducting a child, two counts of sexual assault and a count of taking indecent photos of a child.
He was found not guilty of one count of rape of a child under 13.
A second man, Mohammad Kabir, 24, was found not guilty of intentional strangulation, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and attempting to take a child.
Every victim of sexual assault is afforded automatic lifelong anonymity.
This incident has been deeply traumatic for the young girl concerned and we ask that her privacy is respected.
We take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will conduct full and thorough investigations into any reports made.