Ahmad Mulakhil, a 23-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, has pleaded guilty to the oral rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Mulakhil changed his plea at Warwick Crown Court to admit a single charge of oral rape against the child, which occurred between 8:30 pm and 9:45 pm on Tuesday, July 22. Despite this admission, he continues to deny a further string of charges, including two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of abduction, all related to the underage victim.

Mulakhil is set to face trial alongside another Afghan asylum seeker, Mohammed Kabir, also 23, in January. Kabir has pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting rape, intentional strangulation, and attempting to take a child. Both men were remanded in custody by Judge Kristina Montgomery KC, with a pre-trial hearing scheduled for December 12 and the trial on January 26.

Details of the case were first revealed by the Mail on Sunday in August. The publication accused police of attempting to conceal the immigration status of both defendants to prevent racial tensions from escalating. Mulakhil, who arrived in the UK via a small boat, committed the rape in the Cheverel Street area of Nuneaton. CCTV footage obtained by the Mail on Sunday from a resident's house near Cheverel Street captured a man walking with the girl, who is white, at 8 pm, approximately half an hour before the alleged prolonged assault. The victim is now receiving specialist care.

Warwickshire Police arrested Mulakhil four days after the incident and charged him the following day. A significant political backlash ensued when the Mail revealed that Warwickshire Police had advised councillors and officials not to disclose the suspects' backgrounds, citing fears of 'inflaming community tensions.' It was believed officers were concerned about potential unrest similar to that seen in Epping, Essex, where an Ethiopian asylum seeker faced charges. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch accused the police of a 'cover-up' regarding the alleged rape details. Warwickshire Police defended its stance by stating it followed national policy against sharing ethnicity or immigration status.

In response to the alleged 'cover-up,' then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called for 'more transparency' from police. Subsequently, police forces have begun to disclose the ethnicity and nationality of suspects in high-profile or sensitive cases, following changes in guidance from the College of Policing. Inquiries by the Mail on Sunday in Nuneaton revealed that both Mulakhil and Kabir resided in tax-payer-funded rented houses, managed by Serco, which has a £1.9 billion contract with the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers.

The incident also sparked protests in Nuneaton in August, where demonstrators marched through the town's high street, carrying St George’s cross and Union Jack flags, with some displaying Nazi imagery. Speakers at the protest called for the far right to unite. A smaller group of counter-protesters from Stand Up to Racism also attended, advocating against the far right.