A pair of Afghan “asylum seekers” have been charged with the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.
Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, allegedly raped the child in the evening of July 22 on the town’s Cheverel Street.
He was arrested on July 26 and charged the next day.
Mohammad Kabir, also 23, was arrested and charged with kidnap, strangulation and aiding and abetting rape of a girl under 13 on July 31.
The pair have since been remanded in custody after appearing at Coventry Magistrates’ Court – with their case set to be heard at Warwick Crown Court on August 26.
A police statement on Saturday afternoon said the force was still appealing for witnesses to the incident – but did not mention their background.
Unnamed sources then told the Mail that Warwickshire Police urged councillors and local officials not to reveal how the pair were asylum seekers over fears of fuelling “community tensions”.
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PICTURED: Nuneaton town centre. The West Midlands market town has become embroiled in fury after the alleged rape of a young girl (file photo)
The newspaper went on to publish CCTV stills from a home near Cheverel Road which appears to show a man walking with a white girl at around 8pm on July 22.
“They’re hushing it up because they don’t want an Epping situation on their hands,” a source said.
Epping, in western Essex, has seen a string of protests by concerned locals and counter-protests since an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with several sex crimes in early July, just days after arriving in England via small boat.
Mulakhil is also said to have crossed the English Channel via dinghy.
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Warwickshire Police is said to have urged local officials not to reveal the pair’s migrant background over fears of fuelling ‘community tensions’ (file photo)
Both the Afghan men live in rented houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) managed by Serco alongside several other asylum seekers.
Serco came under serious criticism earlier this year when details emerged of a multi-billion-pound contract with the Home Office to house migrants across the country.
The owner of Mulakhil’s home revealed she was “sickened to the stomach” by the incident.
“I don’t know anything because Serco manage the house completely,” she said.
Serco itself added: “We do not confirm individual addresses, nor the names of people in properties we manage.”
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Serco came under serious criticism earlier this year when details emerged of a multi-billion-pound contract with the Home Office to house migrants (file photo)
Just one hour after details surrounding the pair came to light, Warwickshire Police released a lengthy statement – which hailed the force’s work with “community partners”.
“There’s been some questions about what we do and don’t release as part of a high-profile investigation such as this,” the force said.
“Following the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton on Tuesday July 22 we started an immediate and fast-moving investigation.
“This provided specialist support for the victim and involves detectives, neighbourhood teams and experts from across the force.
“The impact of such a crime is felt across the community, of which we are a part. Our neighbourhood officers work every day with local community partners.
“When something significant happens, we brief these partners and local elected officials on the circumstances of the crime, the investigation, the work being undertaken to arrest those responsible and how local people and partners can help a concerned community.
“Where relevant, sensitive information around locations, details of the crime and policing activity to catch offenders can be shared, with a warning that this is sensitive or confidential information and disclosure by those being briefed could affect future court hearings.
“We work to hold offenders to account and will always do everything in our power to present a robust case to the courts and protect the integrity of court proceedings.
“Once someone is charged with an offence, we follow national guidance. This guidance does not include sharing ethnicity or immigration status.
“As our investigation progresses, the victim remains at the forefront of our focus, and we will continue to work with our partners – providing updates and working alongside the people of Nuneaton.”