Attempting to meet underage girl for a threesome.

Mohammed Ali, a 23-year-old asylum seeker, was jailed for 12 months at Leeds Crown Court this week after attempting to meet a child for sex following grooming. He was caught by an online paedophile hunter group, Predator Exposure, who set up a decoy profile of a young girl on Facebook Messenger.

Ali, who had arrived in the UK illegally in 2021, contacted the decoy profile and told her he was 18 years old from Syria. Over the course of November 2021, he communicated with the girl, sending her photos and asking her to meet. He turned the conversation sexual, proposing sex with both her and another girl. He also instructed her not to tell anyone about their communication.

The pair arranged to meet near Leeds Town Hall on November 20, 2021, but Ali was apprehended by members of Predator Exposure. Police were already present due to a large protest taking place that day, and Ali was arrested.

Ali pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following grooming and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. His barrister, Mohammed Rafiq, argued that Ali was "extremely ashamed and deeply frightened" and that he was "a very foolish and immature young man" who "did not try to run away" when arrested.

Judge Richard Mansell KC questioned Ali's claim that he was unaware of the age of consent, pointing to his lies about his own age and his attempt to silence the girl. He sentenced Ali to 12 months imprisonment, imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and placed him on the sex offender register. Ali was also informed that he is "liable for deportation" upon release.