A dangerous sexual predator faces 11 years behind bars after kidnapping a five-year-old girl from a Birmingham street and assaulting her in his home. The child endured confinement in a downstairs room of the terraced house until her mother heard cries for help, prompting two men to break in and rescue her.
The Terrifying Incident
On the afternoon of March 30, the girl played outside in Winson Green, Birmingham, while her mother chatted with a neighbor. Moments after the child vanished from view, the mother and her friend launched a frantic search, checking a nearby park and corner shop before returning to the street.
The mother recognized her daughter’s cries coming from a nearby house. With the front door locked, she grabbed a piece of wood to smash the window of the room holding the girl and the attacker, Mohammed Abdulraziq, 32, a Sudanese national. Her friend partially climbed through and witnessed Abdulraziq undressed, with the girl’s cycling shorts pulled down to her ankles.
Abdulraziq swung a punch at the woman and slammed the window shut, knocking her back. The noise drew two men who forced the door open, freeing the child.
Court Conviction and Background
Birmingham Crown Court convicted Abdulraziq in September of false imprisonment with intent to commit a sexual offense, sexual assault, and assault. He had earlier pleaded guilty to assault, attempted assault, and criminal damage in a separate case.
Evidence showed Abdulraziq had consumed three cans of beer and smoked two cigarettes laced with Mamba, a synthetic cannabis, before the attack.
Judge’s Sentencing Remarks
During sentencing on March 13, Judge Kerry Malin detailed the horror: “The victim was a five-year-old little girl happily playing in the street. Her mother was talking to a neighbour. You appeared on the street and spoke to the mother. It was clear to both women that you were heavily under the influence of an illicit substance.”
“You made sexualised comments towards her. They were disturbing but she quite properly ignored the comments but she was sufficiently concerned to go down the road and close her own front door. She then returned to speak to her neighbour. She kept a close eye on her daughter throughout.”
The judge noted the mother looked away for less than 10 seconds when Abdulraziq seized the girl, luring her inside and locking the door. “It must have been a horrific experience to bang on the door and window and see her daughter inside,” Judge Malin stated. “She even got a nearby scaffolding board to break the window and get to her daughter. Still you did not let the girl leave the room.”
When the neighbor peered in, she saw Abdulraziq bent over the girl near the bed, both with clothing around their ankles. The judge extended his license by four years, deeming him a serious risk to young children.
Lasting Impact
The victim’s mother described the enduring trauma in her impact statement, haunted by her daughter’s cries of distress. The once happy and confident child now struggles with complex behavioral needs.
Police Statement
Detective Sergeant Nicky Simms of West Midlands Police highlighted Abdulraziq’s predatory actions: “Abdulraziq was a predatory individual who took a young girl off the street and into his house. Fortunately, incidents of this nature are rare. I must praise the courage of the girl and her mother in what has been a very sensitive investigation.”
