MANSOOR MIH OF LONDON FACES JAIL FOR GROOMING SCHOOLGIRL IN KENT AND ONLINE RADICALIZATION
In a disturbing case that highlights the dangers of online grooming and radicalization, Mansoor Miah, a 22-year-old resident of Hilgrove Road, Kilburn, in north-west London, was involved in a series of criminal activities targeting a vulnerable underage girl.The incidents unfolded over a period of time, with Miah engaging in inappropriate online conversations and attempting to meet the girl for sexual purposes in Kent.
According to court reports, the grooming began in November 2013 when Miah, then aged 20, initiated contact with the girl through a fake Facebook profile.
The girl, who was just 15 at the time, was using a handheld Nintendo DS device to access social media, as her mother had previously restricted her from using the home computer after discovering her online discussions about sex.
Despite her lack of interest in religion, Miah initially tried to engage her by discussing Islam and the Koran, but he persisted even after she showed disinterest.
Prosecutor Stephen Requena detailed the disturbing nature of their online exchanges, revealing that Miah sent the girl explicit photographs, including images of his erect penis, and engaged in explicit conversations.
He also asked her to send him indecent images of herself, which she refused.
Miah's messages included attempts to persuade her to perform oral sex and to watch him perform a sex act on himself via webcam.
He even inquired if she would meet him at a Premier Inn hotel in Kent, sending her another explicit photograph of himself.
The grooming was ultimately halted when the girl’s mother discovered the online activity and reported it to the police.
Miah was arrested in June of the following year and subsequently admitted to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Miah had also retweeted religious messages from Anjem Choudary, a known radical Islamist cleric, and expressed admiration for exiled cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad.
At Southwark Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith sentenced Miah to a 16-month prison term, suspended for two years.
The judge emphasized that while Miah intended to engage in sexual activity, he had not gone further than attempting to meet the girl, and he had shown remorse for his actions.
The judge also noted that Miah had not repeated the offense and was not considered a predatory paedophile, which influenced the decision to suspend the sentence.
However, the court made it clear that had Miah met the girl or communicated with other minors in a similar manner, the sentence would have been more severe.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Miah was ordered to attend a sex offenders’ treatment program, sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years, and was banned from using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
His lawyer, Edward Jones, argued that Miah’s judgment was clouded by cannabis use during that period, which he claimed he had since ceased, and assured the court that this was a one-off incident unlikely to recur.
Furthermore, the court heard that Miah was active on Twitter, where he expressed support for radical Islamist views and shared messages from Anjem Choudary, including one just days before his arrest.
His online activity and associations with radical figures raised concerns about his ideological influences.
Overall, this case underscores the ongoing threat posed by online grooming and radicalization, especially among vulnerable youth.
The authorities continue to monitor and prosecute such cases to protect minors from exploitation and to combat the spread of extremist ideologies.
