LONDON: An Afghan was on Tuesday found guilty in an English court of raping a 12-year-old girl, a case that sparked local protests and a political row when his status as an asylum seeker was not initially disclosed by police.

Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was convicted of one count and cleared of another count of raping a child under 13 in Nuneaton, central England, last July after a trial at Warwick Crown Court.

He had previously pleaded guilty to a further count of rape and was also found guilty of abducting a child, two counts of sexual assault and making indecent images of a child.

His co-defendant Mohammad Kabir, 24, was found not guilty of attempting to take a child, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and intentional strangulation in connection with an earlier encounter with the victim on the same day.

Anti-immigration activists have seized on other criminal cases involving asylum seekers, predominantly young men and particularly those housed in hotels, to argue that they are a danger to nearby communities.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2026