Man groomed and raped schoolgirl, 12, in his car

Aqueel Hussain, 33, groomed the girl on Snapchat and told her he was 19

A man described by police as a "dangerous, depraved pervert" has been jailed for raping a 12-year-old schoolgirl.

Aqueel Hussain, 33, groomed the girl on Snapchat and told her he was 19, eventually arranging to meet in Colne on 28 November, Lancashire Police said.

CCTV footage captured Hussain accompanying the victim, who was dressed in her school uniform, into a shop where he bought her a phone charger, before assaulting her in the back of his car.

At Preston Crown Court he was sentenced to 16 years after being convicted of rape and meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming.

'Strongest, bravest daughter'

The victim had gone to the shopping centre with a friend, but that friend had to leave and Hussain booked and paid for the taxi on an online booking platform.

After the girl and Hussain left the store, Hussain invited her into his white BMW.

He drove to a secluded spot in the car park, got into the back of his vehicle and said he would give his victim £100 if she joined in, police said.

It was while the victim was in the back of the BMW that Hussain raped her.

After the attack was reported, police identified Hussain from the mobile number he used to book the taxi.

Officers visited a property in Blackburn and although Hussain was not there at the time, the same distinctive trousers he was wearing in the CCTV footage the day he committed the rape were found in a locked bedroom.

On the way to a second property linked to Hussain in Blackburn, police spotted his white BMW.

Police briefly followed the BMW then stopped it and arrested Hussain.

He was wearing the same jumper and jacket he had been wearing in the CCTV footage the day he committed the rape.

Hussain, from Blackburn, was found guilty following a trial earlier this year.

In an impact statement to the court, the victim's mother said: "No parenting book could ever of prepared me for the police standing in my kitchen putting my daughter's school uniform into evidence bags."

She added: "My daughter is the strongest, bravest person I know. Thanks to her courage, nobody else will hopefully have to suffer because of this man's actions."

Det Con Kiren Shah said: "Hussain is a dangerous pervert with an depraved sexual interest in female children. I welcome the significant sentence he has received which reflects the seriousness of his offending.

"I want to praise the victim for the immense bravery she has shown throughout this process."