A 33-year-old man has been handed a 16-year extended sentence at Preston Crown Court after being convicted of the online grooming and rape of a 12-year-old child in Lancashire.
Aqueel Hussain, of no fixed address and formerly residing at Irene Place, Blackburn, was sentenced following a trial in which he was found guilty of rape and meeting a child under 16 years of age following grooming.
The court heard that Hussain initiated contact with the 12-year-old victim on the social media platform Snapchat, deliberately concealing his age by claiming he was 19 years old. Hussain subsequently arranged to meet the child on 28 November at an Asda supermarket in Colne.
When the victim arrived accompanied by a friend, Hussain used an online booking account on his mobile phone to pay for a taxi to remove the friend from the area. CCTV recordings captured Hussain escorting the victim, who was visibly dressed in her school uniform, through the supermarket to purchase a mobile phone charger. Hussain then guided her into his white BMW parked outside, drove to a secluded section of the car park, and climbed into the rear passenger compartment, offering her £100 before subjecting her to a sexual assault and rape.
The offence came to light after the victim became targeted by bullying at school as a direct result of the attack. Lancashire Police’s East Child Protection Team launched an inquiry, identifying Hussain through the mobile phone data utilised to order the taxi. Officers attended an address linked to him in Blackburn, discovering clothing matching the CCTV footage locked inside a bedroom. Shortly afterwards, mobile patrols spotted Hussain driving his white BMW in Blackburn, pulling the vehicle over and detaining him while he was wearing the identical clothing captured on store surveillance.
In a moving victim personal statement presented to the court, the child’s mother detailed the traumatic fallout experienced by the family:
“Being a parent doesn’t come with instructions. I was prepared for tantrums, arguments, and a bit of sass when my daughter started high school, but no phone call from her Head of Year or Parenting Book could ever have prepared me for the police standing in my kitchen putting my daughter’s school uniform into evidence bags. Everything unfolded in slow motion. Wondering how did this happen? How did we get here? My daughter’s social life quickly deteriorated, and at school she became a target once more as students had found out. We decided it was best to pull her from public education temporarily. As the months went by and the Exploitation Team helped her, she regained some confidence to go out and see friends… Until we got to June and my daughter spent five days in hospital recovering from an overdose. Since June, my daughter has made positive baby steps towards a brighter future, returning to education part time. The impact that has had on our family has been tremendous. But my daughter is the strongest, bravest person I know. Thanks to her courage, nobody else will hopefully have to suffer because of this man’s actions. I could not be any more proud of her.”
Detective Constable Kiren Shah of the East Child Protection Team commented:
“Hussain is a dangerous offender with a depraved sexual interest in female children. I welcome the significant sentence he has received which reflects the seriousness of his offending. I want to praise the victim for the immense bravery she has shown throughout this process. The significant impact this offending has had and continues to have on her life – and that of her family – is profound. I hope the punishment handed down to Hussain will assist her in continuing to rebuild her life. I would also like to appeal to the public to be vigilant and if they see something that doesn’t seem right, to please report it to us. In this case for instance, there was a vulnerable child in school uniform walking around a busy supermarket with a much older man.”
Deeming Hussain to represent an ongoing danger to the public, the sentencing judge imposed an extended sentence comprising 15 years in custody and an additional 12 months on extended licence.
Hussain was also made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and ordered to remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Image – Offender Custody Photograph
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