Afghan Asylum Seeker Convicted of Child Abduction, Assaults

A jury at Warwick Crown Court convicted 23-year-old Afghan asylum seeker Ahmad Mulakhil on Tuesday of child abduction, two counts of sexual assault, one count of assault, and taking an indecent video of a child, following an attack on a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, last summer. Mulakhil had arrived in Britain four months earlier and was living in the area as part of the asylum process. Sentencing is set for a later date, with the judge indicating a substantial custodial term that would make him eligible for deportation.

The assault occurred on July 22, 2025, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Prosecutors told the court that Mulakhil approached the girl at a local play park, led her to a secluded residential road, and carried out the attack while laughing and filming it on his phone. The victim reported that he threatened her family during the incident. After the assault, members of the public found the girl and alerted authorities. Mulakhil then went to a nearby shop, where he purchased drinks using a government-issued debit card provided to asylum seekers, allowing police to identify him through CCTV footage. Officers also recovered his DNA from the victim's...