Phil MackieBBC News Midlands Correspondent and
Charlotte BentonBBC News, West Midlands
BBCTwo men, reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, have pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.
Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, appeared at Warwick Crown Court and denied rape, sexual assault and kidnap charges, alongside Mohammad Kabir, 23, who denied kidnap, strangulation and aiding and abetting the rape of a girl aged under 13.
Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch previously accused police and the Home Office of covering up the pair’s immigration status. Reform Party leader, Nigel Farage, also called for the Warwickshire force to release the information.
The men were remanded in custody and are due to face trial on 26 January, 2026.
Wearing grey tracksuits, they spoke in court only to confirm their names and enter their pleas.
They did so with the help of interpreters. Mr Mulakhil’s was a Farsi interpreter and Mr Kabir appeared with a Pashtun translator.
Mr Mulakhil, of no fixed address, denied abducting a child, three counts of rape of a child under 13, and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.
Mr Kabir, also of no fixed address, pleaded not guilty to attempting to take a child, aiding and abetting rape of a child under 13, and intentional strangulation of the girl.
They are both due back in court for their next hearing on 21 November.
Warwickshire Police previously appealed to anyone who was in the Cheverel Street area of Nuneaton, between 20:30 BST and 21:45 BST on 22 July, and may have seen anything of interest, to contact the force.
