Amin Abedi Mofrad.
Picture:
Thames Valley Police
An asylum seeker who raped a 15-year-old girl close to a busy row of shops has been jailed for over nine years.
Amin Abedi Mofrad had been staying at a migrant hotel at the time he attacked the schoolgirl near Oxford’s Westgate shopping centre on the evening of 14 February 2024.
The 35-year-old, originally from Iran, was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court of rape and sexual assault by penetration last month.
On Thursday, Judge Maria Lamb sentenced him to nine years and six months in prison with an extended licence period of three years.
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Mofrad was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court.
Picture:
Alamy
The judge told Mofrad: “You were 34 and she was 15.
“While you may not have realised she was under 16 she looked young and you exploited the vulnerability of someone much younger.”
Prosecutor Patrick Upward KC said the victim was “clearly intoxicated” when she met Mofrad that evening and said the teen was eventually able to make her escape from the shopping centre.
Mr Upward said that the defendant and another man assaulted the victim, but Mofrad refused to name the accomplice, who has not been arrested.
It was first reported to police in April last year, two months after the assault, with Mofrad, now of Mill Lane, Reading, arrested and charged soon after.
Due to the time that had passed between the attack and it being reported, Thames Valley Police said CCTV evidence had been unavailable.
However, police say they were able to arrest Mofrad through their Project Vigilant, an initiative to target predatory behaviour.
Evidence linking him to the offences was then discovered on his mobile phone and the prosecution said Mofrad had taken a photo of himself kissing his victim without her knowledge.
It also emerged that he had taken a short video of himself kissing a different girl on the same evening.
The force said during December 2024, it was also made aware of previously reported assaults which took place in Germany that related to Mofrad, four of which had resulted in convictions for assault and bodily harm offences.
Speaking after the sentencing, investigating officer, Detective Constable Bethany Liversidge, of Oxford CID, said: “Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to the immense courage displayed by the teenage victim in supporting this investigation from the start all the way to the finish.
“It is thanks to her support and bravery that we were able to bring Mofrad to justice.
“I hope that this result illustrates how committed Thames Valley Police is in investigating and preventing violence against women and girls and bringing offenders to justice.
“Project Vigilant is a valuable initiative which helps us to prevent crimes from happening, but when they sadly do, allows us to continue to build intelligence around predatory activity.
“The victim and their family have requested privacy at this time.”