A 32-year-old Sudanese national has been handed an 11-year prison sentence after snatching a five-year-old girl from a Birmingham street and sexually assaulting her in his nearby flat. Mohammed Abdulraziq was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court following a trial in September, where he was found guilty of false imprisonment with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, and assault. The court heard how the youngster was held captive in a ground-floor bedsit until her mother’s desperate search led to a dramatic rescue.
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The incident occurred on the afternoon of 30 March last year in the Winson Green area of the city. While the victim was playing outdoors as her mother spoke with a friend, she suddenly vanished from sight. After a frantic search of the local neighbourhood, including a nearby park and corner shop, the mother returned to the street where she heard the unmistakable sound of her daughter’s cries emanating from a property.
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When the building’s front door proved to be locked, the mother attempted to smash a window with a piece of wood to reach her child. A friend who assisted by partially climbing through the window witnessed a harrowing scene: Abdulraziq was partially undressed, and the young girl’s clothing had been removed. The defendant reportedly punched the woman to force her back onto the street, but the ordeal ended when two male passers-by, alerted by the commotion, managed to break down the door to the bedsit.
In her sentencing remarks, Judge Kerry Malin highlighted the devastating long-term impact on the family. She noted that the victim, previously a “happy and confident” child, now struggles with “complex behavioural needs.”
The Judge referenced a victim impact statement in which the mother described the “trauma” of the event, stating that her daughter’s “cries of distress and helplessness” would haunt her for the rest of her life.
