In 2019, the Offender Database recorded that Mohammed Keerpah, then 19, was jailed for 27 months for grooming and attempting to meet two 12-year-old girls in Grays, Essex. On Monday, 10 June 2019, the teenager was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court following a series of “predatory” digital offences carried out over a single weekend in March. The court reported that Keerpah would serve half of his sentence in a youth offenders’ institute before being deported from the United Kingdom.
The investigation established that on Saturday, 2 March 2019, Keerpah used Instagram to contact two children. Essex Police reported that he sent one girl inappropriate photos and comments, while the second victim was sent a video of him performing a sexual act. The prosecution reported that when the second girl refused to send intimate photos in return, Keerpah video-called her to continue the “vile” performance. He was arrested the following day, Sunday, 3 March, at a park in Grays, Essex, where he had arranged to meet one of the girls while carrying condoms in his wallet.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Keerpah’s actions were a deliberate and rapid attempt to move from digital grooming to a physical sexual encounter. Basildon Crown Court heard how the defendant utilised the anonymity of social media to target 12-year-old victims in Grays, Essex. The prosecution reported that the digital evidence, combined with the items found upon his arrest, proved a clear intent to engage in sexual activity with a child.
The judge noted that the use of video calls to force a child to watch sexual acts was a significant aggravating factor. For his actions in Grays, Essex, Keerpah was told that his conduct was “appalling” and necessitated immediate incarceration. The judge noted that the 27-month sentence at a youth offenders’ institute, followed by deportation, was the appropriate response to protect the public and reflect the trauma inflicted on the young victims.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in England, Mohammed Keerpah was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 27 months in a youth offenders’ institute.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Basildon Crown Court following guilty pleas.
- Criminal Record: Convicted of meeting a child following grooming, sexual communication with a child, and causing a child to watch a sexual act.
- Immigration Status: Subject to automatic deportation halfway through the custodial term.
- Location of Arrest: A park in Grays, Essex.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Keerpah is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Essex Police and the Home Office. Due to the “fast-tracked and predatory” nature of his grooming in Grays, Essex, his management involves direct coordination with immigration enforcement to ensure his removal from the UK.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Keerpah remains subject to notification requirements. Authorities state that his history of using social media to target 12-year-olds necessitates strict monitoring until his deportation is finalised. Any attempt to return to the UK or further sexual misconduct prior to his removal from Essex or elsewhere will result in immediate arrest and a return to the court system for a significantly lengthier term of incarceration.
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