A 'despicable' British Airways pilot who drove hundreds of miles in his Mercedes in order to sexually abuse a 12-year-old girl after grooming her via social media has today been jailed for more than eight years.

Kwame Yeboah, a former England youth basketball international, met his victim on video chatroom Omegle before exchanging a series of explicit messages and calls with her via Instagram.

After 'emotionally blackmailing and manipulating' the youngster, Yeboah persuaded her to meet up, driving to Merseyside from his home in Reading, Berkshire.

The 'dangerous' predator then checked into a hotel before twice raping the youngster in his car.

Ghana-born Yeboah, 30, admitted three counts of rape of a child under 13 and assault of a child under 13 by penetration.

Appearing via video link from prison, he was jailed for eight years and four months and given an additional year on licence. 

He was sacked by BA as soon as the airline was told about his crimes

Yeboah's sickening offences were exposed after the girl's mother learnt from one of her young friends that she had been speaking to a man online and later had sex with him and contacted police.

He was aged in his 30s and drove a black Mercedes, with his number having been saved under a false name in her daughter's phone, Liverpool Crown Court heard today.

When subsequently spoken to by police, the girl was 'initially dismissive', said Louise McCloskey, prosecuting.

But she went on to tell her mother in the presence of officers: 'I don't know why you had to tell the police. It's not like I've been raped or anything.'

After being told that she could have needed emergency contraception if any sexual activity had taken place, she then went on to add: 'No, I'm not getting it. I'll keep the baby.'

However, she later confirmed to detectives that she and Yeboah had met on Omegle - a website where participants engage in video calls with randomly selected strangers - around three months previously.

He then followed her on Instagram, where they exchanged sexualised pictures and messages and had further video calls with one another.

While she had initially told Yeboah that she was 17, she later sent him pictures of her in her school uniform and referred to being grounded in their communications.

When she stated that she could not meet up with him after requests, he replied with emotionally manipulative messages including: 'I can't do this no more, because you're not meeting me.

'I can't call because it makes me sad, because I can't see you.'

After Yeboah travelled up to Merseyside she climbed out of a window at her home in order to meet him in his car nearby.

She gave him a hug at which the court heard he told her: 'You're dainty, aren't you?'

Yeboah subsequently drove them around until he asked to 'go to a car park and do stuff', telling her that he was 'horny'.

Having stopped his vehicle, he then touched her sexually before raping her.

When apparently disturbed by another car pulling up alongside them, Yeboah drove to a second location where he instructed her to perform a sex act on him and raped her for a second time.

He later messaged the girl after 'becoming anxious about her obtaining the morning after pill', telling her: 'You lied to me.

'They would have asked you a bunch of questions before they gave it to you.'

At this, she replied: 'I just don't want you to be mad at me. I love you. I wouldn't lie to you.

'Don't text for a bit, social services are at my house.'

The court heard the schoolgirl's confidence has been 'damaged' by her ordeal, and she has 'trouble sleeping and eating and is constantly on edge'.

She feels 'guilt, anger, confusion and shame' and has problems concentrating on her schoolwork.

Yeboah has no previous convictions.

Richard Pratt KC, defending, told the court: 'In her victim personal statement, she refers to nightmares in which the defendant is blaming her for the impact on his own life.

'Nothing could be further from the truth. 

'He has, throughout his time in custody, fully accepted that all that happened to him, let alone what happened to her, was his fault and his alone.'

Yeboah had made a 'grave error of seeking comfort by contact with social media,' he told the court, and accepts there were 'plain warnings signs' that she was younger than 17.

The court heard he trained as a first officer in British Airways and that colleagues described him as 'remaining grounded, despite his achievements'.

He is still involved in basketball as a referee.

Mr Pratt added: 'It is a matter of great sadness that someone who has achieved so much, not just in his job, but also in the love and affection so many people have for him, that he can have behaved in way he did.'

Jailing him, Judge Gary Woodhall told Yeboah it would have been obvious to him that the girl was younger than she claimed to be.

She had sent images of herself in school uniform, referred to sitting 'tests', and chatted about 'not being allowed out and her sexual inexperience'.

'All of this was indicative of her true age,' he said.

'You are an older man, someone who has volunteered with children, and a professional.

'During the course of that communication, sexually explicit photographs and videos were exchanged. There were highly sexualised messages sent by you. 

'The language you used was extremely sexualised, referring to explicit sexual acts you wanted to engage in.

'I am satisfied, in the context of what you knew about the person you were communicating with, that was language designed to emotionally blackmail and manipulate this young girl.'

The judge told how references provided on behalf of Yeboah 'speak about your positive attributes, your strong work ethic, your charitable and voluntary work over many years'.

'All of that is entirely inconsistent and out of character with the way you behaved towards her,' he added.

Yeboah was also handed a restraining order which will ban him from contacting his victim for 15 years.

He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

Afterwards Detective Constable Roxana Tusa, of Merseyside Police, said the case showed their commitment to ensuring that 'such despicable offenders are removed from the community'.

'Our investigation has proved that Yeboah is a dangerous sexual offender who will now begin a significant jail sentence for his abhorrent crimes,' she added.

'We hope that the swift identification and prosecution of Yeboah does at least offer some comfort to the victim and her family moving forward. I want to thank them for their strength throughout our investigation.'

According to his LinkedIn profile, Yeboah joined BA in 2023. He was sacked as soon as the allegations were passed to the airline.

In a statement the airline said: 'We’ve been sickened to hear of the despicable actions of this individual and we can only imagine the pain he has inflicted. 

'All of our thoughts are and will remain with the young person and their family as they try to repair the unthinkable damage and hurt they have suffered.'

Yeboah is understood to have been fully vetted ahead of joining BA.