LONDON – An Afghan national was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday for raping a 12-year-old girl in central England, igniting local protests and a heated political debate after police initially withheld his asylum seeker status.
Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, faced conviction at Warwick Crown Court on one count of raping a child under 13 in Nuneaton in July 2025. He had already pleaded guilty to another child rape charge and was found guilty of abducting a child, sexual assault, and producing indecent images by filming the victim.
Judge Kristina Montgomery noted the girl claimed to be 19, but stressed Mulakhil “knew she was aged under 16.” The sentence mandates automatic deportation eligibility, capping a case that has fueled anti-immigration activism targeting asylum seekers, often young men in hotels, as community risks.
Pro-migrant advocates counter that far-right groups and politicians exploit such incidents to stoke tensions, while authorities face scrutiny over transparency in reporting offender backgrounds.