Dangerous child rapist given sentence totalling 16 years

A child rapist from East Lancashire has been given a sentence totalling 16 years.

33-year-old Aqueel Hussain groomed a 12-year-old girl on Snapchat and told her he was 19.

Eventually they arranged to meet at a Asda in Colne on 28^th November last year.

The victim went to the shopping centre with a friend, but that friend had to leave. Having never met the victim or her friend, Hussain agreed to book and pay for the victim’s friends’ taxi on an online booking platform.

CCTV footage captured Hussain accompanying the victim, who was dressed in her school uniform, into Asda where he bought her a phone charger.

After they left the store, Hussain invited her into his white BMW car. After driving to a secluded spot in the carpark, Hussain got into the back of his vehicle sand said he would give his victim £100 if she joined in. It was while the victim was in the back of the BMW that Hussain raped her.

The matter was reported to police after the victim began to get bullied at school as a direct result of the incident.

Our officers managed to identify Hussain from the mobile number he used to book the taxi.

Police visited a property in Blackburn and although Hussain wasn’t there at the time, the same distinctive trousers he was wearing in the CCTV footage the day he committed the rape were found in a locked bedroom.

While officers were on their way to a second property linked to Hussain in Blackburn, they spotted his white BMW.

After briefly following Hussain, the BMW was stopped and he was arrested on suspicion of rape. He was wearing the same jumper and jacket he had been wearing in the CCTV footage the day he committed the rape.

Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Hussain, formerly of Irene Place, Blackburn, but now of no fixed address, was charged with rape and meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming.

Hussain was found guilty following a trial at Preston Crown Court earlier this year. He returned to the same court this week where he was jailed for 15 years and given an extended licence period of 12 months after a Judge deemed him to be a dangerous offender.

Hussain was also made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

In an impact statement to the court, the victim’s mum said: “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 of 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. We were all so proud of her for making what would be small steps in the average person’s day to day life but a massive step in my daughter’s life.

“It felt like we were getting our vibrant, chatty, wild, full of life daughter back. 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.”

DC Kiren Shah, of the East Child Protection Team, said: “Hussain is a dangerous pervert with an 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.

“Finally, I was to thank my colleagues, particularly those in the East Child Protection Team, for their tenacity in identifying Hussain and bringing him to justice. He made deliberate attempts to evade justice, including falsely claiming he was handing himself in, but it was thanks to the determination of Child Protection Team patrols and our Immediate Response colleagues, that he was located and arrested. They have played a crucial role in taking a dangerous man off the streets of East Lancashire.”