Accrington man jailed for raping teenage girl

A 44-year-old man from Accrington, has been jailed for eight years for raping a 17-year-old girl between 2012 and 2013 and then attempting to pervert the course of justice in 2021.

Mohammed Shafiq approached the teenager, who he knew from the local area, in a shop in Accrington. He took her to a takeaway in Blackburn.

On the way home when she realised he wasn't taking her the right way she told him so, but he insisted on taking her for a drink at his house to which she reluctantly agreed.

When they arrived at a house in Accrington he gave her a glass of vodka, after she drank it she blacked out. She came around in the living room to find Mr Shafiq having sex with her before she blacked out again. A while later she woke up on a sofa, left the property and walked home.

Over the following years she avoided any areas where she may have come across Mr Shafiq.

In April 2020, approximately eight years later, she found out that Mr Shafiq had been jailed for 11 years for raping another woman and realised what had happened to her was not her fault. She contacted the police to report that she had been raped when she was 17 years old.

When Mr Shafiq was interviewed by the police at HMP Wakefield, he denied the allegations. He said he had been in a consensual sexual relationship with the woman, not when she was 17 but several years later around 2015. He told them that both their families were aware of this relationship and that his brother would be able to back him up.

Mr Shafiq then called his brother from prison and asked him to lie to the police in a formal statement to back up this false version of events.

The specialist rape and serious sexual offences prosecutor worked closely with the police to build this historic rape case.

By focusing on Shafiq's actions, especially while he was in prison, we were able to present evidence showing that he was seeking to pervert the course of justice and were able to disprove the claims he had made to police that he had been in a consensual relationship with the victim.

Throughout the life of the case the woman was kept up to date and supported by an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) at Victim Support.

This case is an example of the way prosecutors and police are increasingly working closely together in a new approach to rape cases which forms part of the CPS National Operating Model, due to be rolled out next month.

In January 2023 Mohammed Shafiq eventually admitted he had committed the offences and pleaded guilty to rape and doing an act intending to pervert the course of justice.

Today he has been given eight years imprisonment plus an eight year extended licence, which he will serve consecutively to his current prison sentence. He must also sign the sex offenders register for life.

Ruby Mckeague, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the North West Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit said: "Shafiq Mohammed is a dangerous man.

"We worked with Lancashire police to build a strong case against him, focussing on his manipulative actions. He lured a young girl to his home under false pretences and plied her with alcohol before carrying out a premeditated sexual attack upon her. He then tried to get his brother to lie for him to cover up him.  

"I would like to thank this woman for coming forward and giving evidence against the man who raped her, which has enabled us to bring him to justice. I sincerely hope that following today's sentence she can achieve a sense of closure and focus on her future."