A British Airways pilot has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison after he admitted raping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl he contacted via Instagram, the BBC reported.Kwame Yeboah, 30, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape of a girl under 13 and one count of sexual assault. He was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison and given a 15-year restraining order.Yeboah first contacted the girl online in late 2025, when she initially claimed she was 17, according to prosecutors. However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was clear from their conversations, particularly when they met, that she was a young child.CPS said Yeboah sent the girl intimate photos of himself and gradually turned their conversations to sexual topics. He also calls her regularly, which leads her to believe that he cares about her and that their relationship is genuine.In February this year, Yeboa traveled hundreds of miles from his home in Reading to Wirral, Merseyside, to meet the girl. Prosecutors said he drove her around and then took her to a remote location where he raped and sexually assaulted her.The victim later told Merseyside Police she felt nervous and confused and struggled to understand what was happening. The abuse came to light days later when a friend told her mother, who reported it to police.Investigators used details Yeboah shared with the girl to identify him. After his arrest, he answered “no comment” to all questions asked by police.Senior prosecutor Thomas Hanlon said Yeboa knew “very early on” that the victim was much younger than she initially claimed.“She talked about school and sent pictures of herself in her school uniform. When he met her in person, it was obvious she was a very young child,” Hanlon said.He added, “He led the victim to believe she was in a relationship with someone who cared about her. In fact, he was an adult man who abused his position and exploited her for his own sexual gratification.”Yeboah has been working as a first officer with British Airways since 2023. He also served as a player and referee for the England Basketball Team and has been involved in basketball for more than 17 years.
