A convicted Rochdale Paedophile sex offender, Zulquarnain Rafique, was caught breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order TWELVE times by using a website designed for teenagers. Zulquarnain Rafique, 24, was previously before the courts in March this year when he admitted attempting to sexually communicate with a child online and attempting to incite them to engage in sexual activity.
He was handed a suspended sentence and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which stated that he must inform the police of any electronic device he had access to and register any new identity documents.
After a search at his home in June, Zulquarnain Rafique volunteered a Lenovo laptop. Officers installed monitoring software, which later picked up on his ‘persistent’ access to a virtual world website aimed at teenagers.
A further search revealed he had other devices, and had also searched for sexually explicit content under ‘incognito’ mode on his laptop. He was arrested and has since pleaded guilty to 12 offences of breaching the SHPO.
Prosecuting, Peter Malone, said Zulquarnain Rafique was found to have communicated using different logins on the website, Habbo. There were also multiple visits to Discord, he said.
“The website is described as a virtual world for teenagers, they can use avatars and meet new people online,” Mr Malone said.
“The information showing his regular access to the site came from the software installed on his devices by Greater Manchester Police.”
The prosecutor said on August 11, police visited his home and recovered the laptop, his phone, and other devices he had not registered with them. They also found a provisional driving licence, which he had also not registered.
Mr Malone added that Zulquarnain Rafique was sentenced on March 18 this year to 12 months imprisonment which was suspended for two years, and the breaches of the order were committed shortly afterwards.
Defending, Hannah Forsyth said her client didn’t fully appreciate that he was not using incognito mode when he made the searches on his laptop.
She explained that in January 2019 he had an ‘unsuccessful surgery’ and was bed bound for five months, which left him ‘isolated and lonely’. He since suffers from a physical condition, she said.
“In the summer he was feeling isolated and was affected by being in the legal system for the first time. It was a seismic adjustment to his relationships,” she said.
“He has now breached that order. During the period of the suspended sentence, he did show considerable insight and progress. He put himself in a difficult position.”
Sentencing, Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones said: “You are before the court today having pleaded guilty to a number of offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order on 12 occasions.
“Principally by accessing the same type of website used by teenagers to communicate with one another. You accessed that site over a number of days between 28 July and 8 August.
“You also made internet searches relating to a sexual context and used them on an incognito mode to prevent a record of your search.”
Zulquarnain Rafique, of Hill Top Drive, Rochdale, was jailed for 12 months, and must sign onto the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
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