Dad jailed for luring teen into van and raping her

AN ASIAN dad-of-three has was on Monday (24) jailed for seven years for picking up a runaway teen from a city street and raping her in his marital home.

Mohammed Basharat picked up the vulnerable girl, 15, from the streets of Birmingham on August 16, 2017 after she left home following a row over her Instagram usage.

At the time Basharat, a driver, claimed he was 26 and living with his parents. But he was in fact 10 years older and a father-of-three, one of whom was just 14.

Basharat picked up the girl and drove her around for six hours before taking her to his marital home. He plyed her with cannabis and raped her.

Glyn Samuel, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said the victim had an argument with her family about her use of Instagram. As punishment, her phone was taken away and sent to her room. It was only later that her family discovered she had run away.

Samuel said: "The family went out looking for her. They did not know where she was and reported her missing that evening at about 9.30pm.

"After she left the family home she was walking the streets of Birmingham and had no coat."

The attack happened when the defendant's family was in Pakistan. Basharat later dropped the teenager off at a shopping centre, and she was found walking the streets by her grandparents.

Sentencing delivery driver Basharat, Judge Richard Bond said: "She was both small in height and stature.

"She was particularly vulnerable that day due to her personal circumstances.

"She was walking the streets of Birmingham on her own and was visibly upset.

"You were obviously concerned about her age. You said you were 26 when you were 36 and you gave a false name to her.

"You told lies to ingratiate yourself with her and to put her at her ease."

Det Insp Tony Parkes, from the Birmingham Child Abuse Team, said: “Child exploitation investigations are often very challenging as they involve youngsters who have been groomed and manipulated by offenders.

“We will do all we can to protect children from sexual predators – and will always seek to take positive steps to protect victims and secure jail terms against offenders."