LUTON TEENAGER AKTEAR GUILTY OF SEXUAL OFFENCES WITH 14-YEAR-OLD DEVON GIRL
In a case that has shocked the local community and raised serious concerns about online safety and grooming, Akeil Akhtar, a young man from Luton, has been found guilty of engaging in sexual activities with a 14-year-old girl from Devon.The incident, which spans over a period of two years, came to light after a detailed police investigation into the teenager's online communications and physical encounters.
Akhtar, who was just 18 years old at the time, was still in the midst of completing his A Levels when he traveled from Luton to Devon to meet the girl he had been grooming through the Kik messenger app.
Their meetings took place on five separate occasions, during which the nature of their interactions escalated from innocent kissing and cuddling to more intimate acts, including touching, oral sex, and ultimately full intercourse.
The girl, who was only 14 at the time, was manipulated into a relationship that was both secretive and damaging.
Following their encounters, Akhtar and the girl exchanged explicit messages.
In one such exchange, he asked her to rate his sexual performance out of ten, revealing a disturbing level of familiarity and comfort with the inappropriate relationship.
The girl met Akhtar twice in North Devon, and she also traveled to see him at hotels in Paddington and at Luton Airport.
Police investigations uncovered videos on Akhtar's phone showing the girl touching herself, which further confirmed the nature of their relationship.
The relationship only came to light when the girl’s mother discovered a reminder on her daughter's phone to take contraceptive pills, which she had started using after they began having full sexual encounters.
This discovery prompted her mother to investigate further, leading to police involvement.
During the subsequent search of Akhtar's belongings, police recovered the underwear the girl had worn during their last meeting at the Hampton Hilton Hotel in Luton.
DNA analysis confirmed the presence of Akhtar's semen on her clothing, providing concrete evidence of their sexual activity.
It was also revealed that Akhtar is the son of a doctor from Luton.
His aspirations to become a medical professional were severely impacted by his arrest and subsequent conviction.
Four years prior to these events, he was prevented from studying at any university in Britain after being listed by the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Instead, he enrolled in a medical degree course in the Czech Republic, but his criminal conviction has effectively ended his pursuit of a career in medicine.
Now aged 22 and residing on Kent Road in Luton, Akhtar faced multiple charges in court.
He denied four counts of sexual activity with a child, with the alleged offences dating back to 2016 and 2017.
However, he admitted to possessing three counts of indecent images, which included 36 nude video selfies sent by the girl, 28 of which depicted her touching herself intimately.
Additionally, police found 49 photographs showing her naked or in sexual poses on his device.
During the trial at Exeter Crown Court, Judge Timothy Rose adjourned sentencing until October.
Akhtar was released on a £50,000 surety provided by his father, with the condition that he surrender his passport.
The judge emphasized the seriousness of the case, stating, “There is no realistic option here other than an immediate custodial sentence.
I am asking for a probation pre-sentence report which will help in the sentencing process.” Throughout the two-week trial, the jury heard that the offences spanned from 2016 to 2017, though delays in investigation—due to the analysis of Akhtar’s phone and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic—had postponed proceedings.
Akhtar claimed that their only physical encounter was during their last meeting, where both masturbated on the same bed without any physical contact.
He insisted that the other messages exchanged were either fantasies or phone sex, but the content of the messages suggested otherwise.
There was also a discussion of oral sex following a meeting at a hotel in Paddington.
After their final encounter, the girl expressed concern about pregnancy despite being on the pill, to which Akhtar responded, “it is 99 percent effective, imagine being the one percent first time,” revealing a disturbing attitude towards the situation.
The case highlights the dangers of online grooming and the importance of safeguarding vulnerable minors from exploitation and abuse.
