Man, 21, jailed for raping 12-year-old girl he met on Snapchat

A man who raped a 12-year-old girl after befriending her on social media has been jailed for nine years.

Driss Serhir met the victim on Snapchat when he was 18 and she agreed to travel with him to central London in October 2019.

During the course of the day, he indicated he had a knife and a firearm and took control of the victim’s mobile phone, the court heard.

He then booked a hotel room where he sexually assaulted her several times before she left the next day.

Officers believe there may be other victims aged between ten and 15 and encourage anyone with information to come forward.

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Serhir, of no fixed address, was previously found guilty of three counts of rape following an investigation led by North West BCU’s Predatory Offender Unit.

He was sentenced to nine years for each offence, to be served concurrently.

Police had been notified of the rape after the girl returned home in a distressed state.

She was provided with support from specially trained officers and partners.

Following the victim’s account, Serhir was quickly identified and arrested, and following a police investigation, was charged with three counts of rape of a child under thirteen.

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Forensic experts proved that semen found on the victim's clothing was a match to Serhir, with an examination of his phone showing he had used the device to book the hotel room, despite using a different name and paying in cash.

The seized phone also included videos showing him with the girl in the hotel room, while search terms including "rape" were found in his search history.

Sergeant PJ Jones, who led the investigation, said: “Driss Serhir is a predatory offender who was callous, not only in his offending, but on his insistence on putting his victim through the trial process.

He added: “The investigation into Serhir’s movements and communications suggest he was in contact with many girls aged between ten and 15 years old and that he has visited Greater London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and the West Midlands using several aliases.

Serhir was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given a 15-year Sexual Harm and Prevention Order.