Man pleads guilty to rape of 12-year-old girl that sparked anti-asylum protests | UK news

A man has pleaded guilty to the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Warwickshire, in a case that prompted anti-asylum protests in Nuneaton.

Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, of no fixed abode, changed his plea at Warwick crown court on Friday, admitting to the single charge of rape of a child under 13 on 22 July.

Mulakhil, an Afghan national, had previously denied abducting a child, three counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 at a hearing on 28 August.

Co-defendant Mohammad Kabir, 23, of no fixed abode, previously pleaded not guilty to attempting to take a child, aiding and abetting rape of a child under 13, and intentional strangulation of the girl at the hearing in August.

Mulakhil, 23, was assisted in the hearing with a Farsi interpreter, where he pleaded guilty to a single count of oral rape. Kabir was assisted with a Pashto interpreter. The hearing did not mention the men’s nationalities or immigration status.

Judge Kristina Montgomery KC remanded the two men in custody before a hearing on 12 December and a trial on 26 January.

The incident sparked protests in Nuneaton in August. Protesters marched along the town’s high street holding St George’s Cross and union jack flags, while a handful wore clothing bearing Nazi imagery. Speakers told the crowd: “England is doomed. You cannot stop it by protesting, the far right must unite.”

A smaller group of counter-protesters from Stand Up To Racism also attended the demonstration, with banners reading: “Stop the far right”.

In August, Warwickshire county council leader George Finch, who represents Reform UK, accused the police of a “cover up” over the men’s immigration status and said the men were both asylum seekers.

The Warwickshire police chief constable said officers “did not and will not cover up such criminality” and were following “national guidance”.

The guidance was later changed by the College of Policing, with new advice encouraging forces to release the race and nationality of those charged in high-profile or sensitive cases, after support from then home secretary, Yvette Cooper.