Asylum seeker sentenced to nine-and-a-half years for raping 13-year-old after online grooming
Abdul Khan, an asylum seeker, received a nine-and-a-half-year prison term for raping a 13-year-old girl he pretended to be a teenager to on Snapchat.
In a Nottingham Crown Court trial, asylum seeker Abdul Khan was sentenced to nine and a half years after being found guilty of two counts of rape and multiple child-sexual-offence charges. The offences occurred in a nature reserve in Clifton when Khan, who arrived in the UK in 2015, contacted a 13-year-old girl on Snapchat, pretending to be a 14-year-old boy. When they met and he could not maintain the deception, he claimed to be 16, but subsequently raped the girl twice.
Judge Mark Watson highlighted the victim’s statement that she feels numb and unable to trust anyone, and ordered that after serving two thirds of his term Khan will be deported to Afghanistan. Prosecutor Dawn Pritchard presented the victim’s personal impact statement, and defence barrister Andrew Wesley declined to provide personal mitigation, continuing to dispute the age and identity allegations.
Why it matters
The case underscores risks of online grooming and the legal consequences for asylum seekers convicted of serious sexual crimes.
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