A former airline pilot has been jailed for raping a 12-year-old girl after meeting and grooming her on Instagram.

Kwame Yeboah, 30, of Drake Way, Reading, first made contact with the child online in late 2025. She initially told him she was 17 and their conversations began ordinarily. However, the nature of later messages and her appearance when they met in person would have made it clear to him that she was significantly younger and could not consent to any sexual activity with him.

Yeboah sent the child intimate images of himself and the conversations became increasingly sexual. He called her around twice a week, making her believe she was important to him and that he cared about her.

In February 2026, Yeboah travelled from Reading to Merseyside to meet the child late in the evening. He drove her around before taking her to an isolated location, where he raped her three times.

The child later told police she struggled to process what was happening and felt nervous and confused.

Afterwards, Yeboah dropped her off near where he had picked her up and drove away.

A few days later, a friend of the victim told her mother what had happened. The matter was reported to police and Yeboah was identified using the details he had given the child.

When arrested and interviewed, Yeboah answered “no comment” to all questions. He was charged with three counts of rape, based on the fact that a child under 13 does not have the legal capacity to consent to any form of sexual activity, and one count of sexual assault.

At Liverpool Crown Court on 22 April 2026, Yeboah pleaded guilty to all charges. Today, 24 June 2026, he was sentenced to 9 years and 4 months imprisonment.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Thomas Hanlon, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) unit, said: “Kwame Yeboah would have known early on in his contact with this child that she was not the age she initially claimed to be.

“She spoke about school and sent images of herself in school uniform. When he met her in person, it would have been obvious that she was a very young child.

“Despite this, Yeboah deliberately took her to an isolated location where he raped her three times.

“He groomed the victim into believing she was in a relationship with someone who cared about her. In reality, he was an adult man who abused his position and exploited her for his own sexual gratification.

“This case is the result of the courage shown by the victim and her family, and the careful work of Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.”