A 28-year-old man has been jailed for nine years for rape after he groomed a girl who was 16 years-old
Mohammed Mughal first contacted the victim on Facebook when she was 15-years-old and the two communicated online for a time. Then Mughal asked the victim to meet him.
In April 2020, Mughal took the victim to an address in Levenshulme where he gave the victim cannabis. He then locked her in the address and raped her.
Following this attack, Mughal continued to message the victim on Instagram and on 12 May 2020 he asked the victim to meet him again and picked her up in his car.
The victim feared for her safety and asked the suspect to take her to an address in Old Trafford and whilst he drove, she managed to contact the police and communicate to them where Mughal was taking her.
When Mughal arrived at the address, he found the police waiting for him and was arrested under section 49 of the Children Protection Act.
Following an extensive investigation, which included the gathering of forensic evidence, Mughal was convicted of rape.
Detective Constable Amy Brookes of Trafford Complex Safeguarding Team said: “I want to thank the victim for her bravery in reporting what happened to police and supporting the investigation to put a dangerous sexual predator behind bars.
“Mughal preyed on the girl for his own sexual gratification. His attack was calculated as he sought the young victim out online and used typical grooming behaviour to build her trust and isolate her.
“Throughout the trial Mughal has failed to acknowledge the pain and trauma his actions have inflicted on a young girl. I am therefore relieved the sentence reflects the severity of his crime and utter lack of remorse.
“Finally, I want to thank the victim for contacting police on the night Mughal was arrested and putting her trust in GMP to help her. I’d also like to appeal to anyone who has suffered abuse to report it to police, or a support agency, so we can help you.”
