Afghan rapist of girl caught after buying drinks

An Afghan asylum seeker who abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl was tracked down by police after using a government-funded card to buy energy drinks minutes after the attack.

On Tuesday, Ahmad Mulakhil was found guilty at Warwick Crown Court, of rape, abduction, sexual assault and taking an indecent video of the victim, in Nuneaton.

Warwickshire Police said they tracked down the 23-year-old after he was caught on CCTV buying the drinks with the card, just after leaving the rape scene on 22 July.

Mulakhil was arrested four days later, with police body-worn video footage capturing him lying in bed as he was handcuffed.

Police said the purchase of the energy drinks was key to his identification.

Co-defendant Mohammad Kabir, 24, also an Afghan asylum seeker, was found not guilty of strangulation, attempted child abduction and attempting to commit a sexual offence.

Payment card details from a Lidl store were also used to track down Kabir, who was arrested on 31 July, near his accommodation in Nuneaton.

Mulakhil, who arrived in the UK by small boat to claim asylum in March 2025, had admitted a charge of oral rape before his trial, but was found guilty of a further rape charge, two sexual assaults, taking an indecent video and child abduction, following his trial.

After the verdicts, Det Ch Insp Collette O'Keefe, the head of Warwickshire's major investigations unit, said the girl was playing in a park when she first noticed Mulakhil and Kabir.

The officer said the victim was eventually taken by Mulakhil to a grassy area at the end of a cul-de-sac, shielded from view by garages and bushes.

"He's subjected her to a number of sexual offences, sexual assaults, and ultimately he raped her," O'Keefe said.

"We very quickly identified Mr Mulakhil. We got his information through the banking transaction that he did in the shop.

"We identified where he was staying, and he was arrested."

O'Keefe said the victim had been extremely brave in coming forward after the "highly emotive" offences.

"Obviously she's been affected. She'll be affected for the rest of her life," she said.

"To be subject to any sexual offence at any age is obviously traumatic. I think we should just pay homage to her."

The case prompted changes to guidance on reporting the nationality and immigration status of people arrested and charged.

There were widespread protests in Nuneaton because those details about the men were not reported by the authorities when they were arrested.

Warwickshire Police were accused of a cover-up following the attack, prompting them to issue a statement to say they were following national guidance, which "does not include sharing ethnicity or immigration status".

The decision led Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Warwickshire County Council's George Finch, the youngest council leader in the country, to claim there had been a cover-up of the men's backgrounds.

New national guidance for disclosing suspects' nationality and ethnicity was published by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, less than a month after attack.

The force confirmed Mulakhil and Kabir were Afghan nationals prior to their trial getting under way.

Mulakhil told the jury he had made an immigration application, while Kabir was not asked to give to any details of his background during his evidence.

Speaking after the case, Warwickshire's Supt for local policing Steve Flavell, said the force had increased its presence in the area in response to community and public concern.

"We still wouldn't release the immigration status of an offender, as that's information that's owned by the Home Office," he said.

"But we're aware now there is new national guidance that allows us to release certain information to the media.

"I think it's important that we reflect on what happened at the time, and Warwickshire Police responded in line with what the guidance was at that time.

"At no point have we tried to mislead the community because that would be the last thing we'd ever want to do."

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