Asylum seeker, 28, raped Nottingham schoolgirl, 13, after posing as teenager on Snapchat, trial told

By ANDY DOLAN, GENERAL REPORTER Published: 19:56, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 19:56, 3 August 2026 An asylum seeker raped a 13-year-old schoolgirl in woodland after befriending her on Snapchat, a court heard. Abdul Khan, 28, used the messaging platform to groom the teenager by telling her he was a 14-year-old boy, jurors were told. He then arranged to meet the teenager after school before taking her on a tram to the woods, jurors were told. When the defendant was arrested, he said he'd arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry and could not have raped the teen as he'd never had sex before.  Khan, who is being assisted by a Pashto interpreter, is on trial for nine counts including rape, sexual communication with a child, meeting a child following grooming, sexual activity with a child and perverting the course of justice.  Prosecutor Kevin Jones said the sex attack is alleged to have happened in Scout Wood Nature Reserve at Clifton, Nottingham, in May last year.  He told the jury of four women and eight men: '(The complainant) received a friend request from someone called Abs on Snapchat.  Abdul Khan, 28, used the messaging platform to groom the teenager by telling her he was a 14-year-old boy, jurors at Nottingham Crown Court (pictured) were told 'She told him she was 14 and he said he was also 14.  'On May 14 she was at school, she received a message asking if she was at school and she said she was and would be out later'. Nottingham Crown Court heard they arranged to meet at a tram stop.  Mr Jones said: 'She was somewhat surprised at his appearance as he did not appear to be the person in the photos.' The prosecutor said the pair headed to a friend's house and en-route, Khan tried to kiss the girl.  He added: 'They went to the friend's house and were there for minutes before they left.  'She told her friend they were going to the woods.  'The pair caught the tram to Southchurch Drive and walked to the woods, she said it was his idea.  'When they got to the woods, Abs started to unbutton her trousers and told her to get on the floor, she said she complied as she was trying not to panic.'  Mr Jones said the accused, of no fixed address, then raped her, she went home alone and when she arrived home her father was in.  He told the court she didn't immediately disclose what happened to her and had an argument with her father before running upstairs and messaging a friend saying she had been raped.  The prosecutor said she then went to that friend's home but her father messaged her telling her to come home.  She then disclosed to him what she said happened to her.  Mr Jones said her school trousers were swabbed, examined and there was a DNA match to Khan.  He said: 'Mr Khan was arrested by Derbyshire Police on an unconnected matter and his phone was recovered.  'That matter was sexual communication with a child from April 21, 2025, where he was sending sexualised Snapchat messages with a child which he has admitted.  'His phone was examined and showed messages had been exchanged between the defendant and (the Nottingham) victim.  'He said he entered the UK in the back of a lorry in 2015 and gave a date of birth as December 26, 2004 in an asylum application.  'He was interviewed under caution and said he was nearly 16 and had never had sex in his life.'  Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.