A former British Airways pilot has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison after grooming and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl he met online.

Kwame Yeboah, 30, a Ghana-born ex-England youth basketball player, contacted the victim through video chat site Omegle before continuing explicit conversations on Instagram. He later drove from Berkshire to Merseyside, where he twice raped the girl in his car after checking into a hotel.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Yeboah emotionally manipulated the child, persuading her to meet him despite clear signs of her young age, including references to school tests and images in uniform. He admitted three counts of rape of a child under 13 and one count of assault by penetration.

Judge Gary Woodhall described Yeboah as a “dangerous predator” who exploited his position as an older professional to manipulate the victim. He imposed a sentence of eight years and four months, plus an additional year on licence. Yeboah was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and banned from contacting the victim for 15 years.

The offences came to light when the girl’s mother learned of her online communications and alerted police. The victim has since struggled with confidence, sleep, and schoolwork, reporting feelings of guilt and shame.

British Airways confirmed Yeboah was immediately dismissed once the airline was informed of his crimes, stating: “We’ve been sickened to hear of the despicable actions of this individual… our thoughts remain with the young person and their family.”

Detective Constable Roxana Tusa of Merseyside Police said the case demonstrated their commitment to removing “such despicable offenders” from the community. (Vanguard, excluding headline)