An Afghan asylum seeker has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in the United Kingdom after abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl. Get today's headlines by email Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was convicted of rape, child abduction, sexual assault and recording an indecent video following a trial at Warwick Crown Court. He had earlier admitted a separate count of raping a child under 13. Court convicts man of multiple offencesThe crimes occurred in July last year in Nuneaton and later triggered protests in the town. Judge Kristina Montgomery said the victim suffered serious psychological harm and ongoing trauma as a result of the attack. The girl had been left alone in a park in the dark after the assault, she said, and remained fearful her attacker might return. Mulakhil was ordered to serve 15 years in custody followed by an additional year on licence. Details of the attack presented at trialProsecutors said Mulakhil targeted the girl after encountering her earlier that day. Security camera footage shown in court captured him asking the victim her age before the attack. She told him she was 19, which the judge described as clearly untrue. Judge Montgomery told the court the jury had no doubt Mulakhil knew the girl was under 16. During the 10-day trial, jurors heard evidence from the victim describing the assault and saying the attacker laughed during the incident. The judge told Mulakhil his responsibility for the crime was at the highest level. She also noted that he had taken the girl to a secluded location before carrying out the assault, which increased the severity of the sentence. Mulakhil arrived in Britain by small boat about four months before the offences. Sentence and legal ordersAlongside the prison term, the court imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a permanent restraining order preventing Mulakhil from contacting the victim. The judge said the length of the sentence meets the threshold for deportation once he completes his prison term. Additional concurrent sentences were issued for related offences, including four years for child abduction and two years for recording the indecent video. Defence lawyer Marcus Harry told the court Mulakhil fled Afghanistan after coming under pressure from the Taliban. He said the defendant had intended to study economics at university. Judge Montgomery said she considered Mulakhil’s age, lack of previous convictions and his guilty plea to one charge when determining the sentence. Case sparks political debateThe case also prompted debate over how police disclose suspects’ nationality and immigration status. Two men were initially charged over the incident. A second defendant, Mohammad Kabir, was acquitted of all charges during the trial. The arrests led politicians including Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, to claim there had been a lack of transparency about the case. Warwickshire Police said at the time that national guidelines did not require forces to disclose nationality or immigration status once suspects were formally charged. Following the controversy, authorities encouraged police forces to consider releasing such information in high-profile investigations. Detective Chief Inspector Collette O'Keefe, who led the investigation, said the crime represented a serious breach of community values. She praised the victim for her courage in giving evidence, saying her testimony was crucial to securing the conviction. O’Keefe added that no prison term could erase the trauma the girl suffered, but expressed hope the verdict would mark the start of her path toward a safer and brighter future. Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 28 March 2026
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