Paedophile cannot be deported as judge says crimes ’cause no real harm’

A pedophile will avoid deportation as a judge said his crimes “caused no real harm”.

Zulquarnain Rafique, who was imprisoned for his crime sexual assault on a childHe was in danger of being fired by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

He appealed the order to be sent to his native Germany and won.

Authorities later appealed.

Judge Paul Lodato ruled against him, saying: “It is clear that Rafik’s crime did not cause any real harm, let alone serious harm.”

Conservative MP Sir John Hayes said: “This man would face no horrors in Germany. “I find it inexplicable why a judge would say this person cannot be deported.”

25-year-old Rafique appeared in court for the first time in 2022 on the grounds that he tried to have sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old girl.

He received a suspended prison sentence and a sexual harm prevention order.

However, after installing the monitored software on his laptop, the police noticed that he was persistently trying to log into the Habbo virtual world, which is widely used by children.

He also searched for sexually explicit content online.

Repeated breaches of the order meant Rafique, who was granted permanent residence in 2011 at the age of 13 and lives in Rochdale, Gtr Manchester, was ordered to serve a one-year prison sentence.

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