Afghan boat migrant 'smuggled schoolgirl, 14, into Britain after kidnapping and sexually assaulting her'
An Afghan migrant smuggled a teenage girl into Britain via small boat after kidnapping and sexually assaulting her, a court has been told.
It is said to be the first known instance of a child being abducted and taken into Britain over the Channel on a dinghy.
The man is alleged to have taken the girl, just 14, from a migrant camp in Belgium in June last year.
A court heard the Afghan national took the teenager across France after sexually assaulting her, and eventually into Britain via small boat.
The man - who has not been named for legal reasons - was discovered living with the child in Manchester.
He was arrested by officers last month in west London.
His true age has not been revealed after he gave a handful of different birthdays to the authorities.
The Afghan man is believed to be any of 27, 21 or 18 years old.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the case as "truly sickening".
He said: “This vile individual should have never been allowed to come to the UK in the first place.”
The girl, believed to be Turkish, was living in a camp used to house migrants applying for asylum for international protection at the time of her kidnapping, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.
Migrants at the Belgian reception centre have freedom to leave the camp during the day while their asylum claims are being considered.
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Belgian authorities have said the Afghan national had been spotted at the camp with the child prior to her disappearance.
An urgent appeal had been launched by police to track her down after she was reported missing.
A spokesman for the National Crime Agency said: “A man wanted by authorities in Belgium was arrested by officers from the NCA’s National Extradition Unit on August 19 in Feltham, West London.
“He remains in custody as extradition proceedings continue."
The Home Office told The Sun it was unable to comment on individual cases.
The court proceedings come as Shabana Mahmood unveils a new "fast-track" refugee route for Afghan and Palestinian nationals.
She will use her speech during the Labour conference tomorrow to confirm she is reopening the UK resettlement scheme.
The scheme will target the "most vulnerable" refugees, including women and girls in Afghanistan, Palestinians with critical medical needs and survivors of torture.
Those accepted will be granted immediate indefinite leave to remain, unlike other refugees whose status is reviewed every 30 months.
This will effectively place them on a fast track to settlement and citizenship.
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