A pilot from British Airways manipulated a 12-year-old girl into believing she was in a caring relationship before driving a considerable distance to sexually assault her.
Kwame Yeboah, a former England youth basketball player, encountered the underage girl on Omegle, a video chat platform, and continued communication through Instagram, exchanging explicit content over a period of three months.
Liverpool Crown Court disclosed that Yeboah, aged 30, traveled from Reading to the Wirral after engaging with the girl online.
The girl’s mother contacted Merseyside Police after discovering that her daughter had been conversing with a man online and had engaged in sexual activity.
Prosecutors mentioned that the girl initially downplayed the seriousness of the situation, stating that she had not been raped. Despite the possibility of needing emergency contraception, she refused it, expressing intentions to keep any potential pregnancy.
Yeboah reserved a hotel room in Merseyside and arranged to meet the girl, who had to sneak out of her house to see him. Although she initially claimed to be 17, she later sent him photos in her school uniform, hinting at her true age.
During their encounter, Yeboah pressured the girl for sexual acts, leading to multiple instances of assault and rape in different locations.
Following the incident, Yeboah messaged the girl, displaying concern over her obtaining emergency contraception and expressing disappointment in her actions.
The judge highlighted Yeboah’s grooming tactics and manipulation of the victim before sentencing him to eight years and four months in prison, with an additional year on license. The abuse left the victim struggling with various aspects of her life.
Yeboah was also subjected to a restraining order, prohibiting contact with the girl for 15 years, and will be listed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.