ZULQUARNAIN RAFIQUE AND SHOCKING SEXUAL OFFENSES IN MANCHESTER
Zulquarnain Rafique, a man previously convicted of a sexual offense, has been found guilty of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) on twelve separate occasions by accessing a website aimed at teenagers.The offences came to light after authorities uncovered his continued online activity despite strict legal restrictions that were imposed following his earlier conviction.
Rafique, aged 24, faced the courts after a series of violations related to his previous court appearances this March, which involved admitting to attempting to establish sexual communication with a minor online and trying to incite the child to engage in sexual acts.
For these offences, he received a suspended prison sentence and was placed under a SHPO, which mandated that he disclose details of any electronic devices he owned to police and register any new identification documents, including driver’s licenses.
In June, police officers conducted a search at Rafique’s residence in Manchester and recovered a Lenovo laptop among other devices.
During the search, Rafique voluntarily handed over the laptop to authorities.
Once examined, monitoring software installed by Greater Manchester Police revealed that he had persistently accessed a virtual world website designed for teenage users.
This site, which allows users to create avatars and meet new people in an online environment, was used repeatedly by Rafique, despite the restrictions placed upon him.
Further investigation uncovered additional devices owned by Rafique, along with evidence that he had searched for sexually explicit content using incognito mode on his laptop—a mode intended to prevent browsing history from being recorded.
This activity constitutes a breach of his legal obligations, leading to his subsequent arrest.
Rafique later admitted to twelve breaches of his SHPO, admitting that he had involved himself in illegal online activities despite knowing the restrictions.
Prosecutor Peter Malone detailed the case, saying, “The defendant was found to have communicated using different logins on the website Habbo, which is described as a virtual world for teenagers where users can use avatars and meet others online.
The software installed on his devices by Greater Manchester Police showed regular access to this website.” He added that during a police visit to Rafique’s Manchester home on August 11, officers recovered not only the laptop but also his phone and other unregistered devices, including a provisional driving license that the defendant failed to declare.
These findings underscored the ongoing pattern of breaches following his earlier sentence.
Previously, in March, Rafique was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to attempting to communicate with a minor online and incite sexual activity.
However, the breaches occurred shortly after this period, demonstrating a disregard for the court’s restrictions.
Defense attorney Hannah Forsyth argued that Rafique did not fully understand that using incognito mode would prevent detection when searching for certain content.
She explained that his behavior was influenced by personal hardships—his unsuccessful surgery in 2019 left him bedridden for five months, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
She highlighted his physical health issues and emotional struggles, stating, “He has since shown insight and made progress during the period of his suspended sentence.
His conduct reflects a difficult period in his life.” The sentencing judge, Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones, emphasized the severity of Rafique’s violations, stating, “You are here today having pleaded guilty to twelve breaches of a sexual harm prevention order, principally by accessing a website used by teenagers to communicate.
Your activities over a span of days between 28 July and 8 August, using incognito mode to hide searches related to sexual content, are serious breaches of the court’s order.” Rafique, resident of Hill Top Drive in Rochdale, was sentenced to a further 12 months in prison.
Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and was subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting the same duration, ensuring ongoing restrictions to prevent further online misconduct.
