An evil predator who groomed a young schoolgirl before luring her to travel to a park where he violently raped her, has been jailed for 13 years.
Rajae Paul, 26, concocted a false identity as a 16-year-old boy on social media to befriend the schoolgirl, spending weeks chatting to her on Snapchat and Instagram.
After grooming her into believing they were in a relationship he pressurised her to travel to Bradford to meet him.
But instead of enjoying an intended date with a boy called ‘Jason’ she was met by Paul who forced her an isolated spot.
Bradford Crown Court heard how the girl had been left “devastated” by his planned attack and it took years before she was able to tell police of the attack in June 2021.
Sentencing Paul, 26, of Barmouth Terrace, Bradford, His Honour Judge Ahmed Nadim told him: “Your actions represent a stark and chilling reminder of the profound danger that can lurk behind a computer screen where predators like you deliberately target the vulnerable.
“This case serves as a sombre lesson on the need for extreme caution and sober discrimination when contemplating meeting those only ever known in the anonymous world of the internet.”
Paul will have to register as a sex offender for life.
Brian Russell, prosecuting said the girl had bravely tried to use her mobile phone to begin recording Paul to try and identify him, but he grabbed the device from her, deleted videos and images before punching her.
After raping the child he then took her back to the city’s railway station in a taxi.
He was convicted of two counts of rape following a trial in August this year.
In a statement read to the court on her behalf, the victim spoke of the “devastating impact” Paul’s assault had had on her life.
She said: “The trauma has affected every part of my life.”
In mitigation, the court heard that Paul had no previous convictions for sexual offences and “lacked maturity”.
Judge Nadim said: “Your actions were predatory, violent, and deliberate.”
He said he hoped the closure of the proceedings would allow the victim’s healing process to begin in earnest and ordered the rapist to be subject to a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective Constable Louise Clayton of Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, who said: “I would first like to recognise the sheer bravery of our victim in this case and for her courage to come forward and report this to police at such a young age.
“She has also been able to navigate the long and complex judicial process to get to this point.
“I hope today she can find comfort in the sentence, knowing that he cannot hurt her or any other woman again.
“Paul is a violent sex offender who lied from the very start and continued to lie throughout police interviews and in court.
“He has never shown any remorse for his actions.
“If you have been a victim of a sexual offence and haven’t yet reported it, we have specialist teams who will listen to you and support you throughout the process.
“It will be treated with the utmost sensitivity and professionalism.”