Police working to build 'trust and confidence'

POLICE say they are working on 'restoring trust' in Nuneaton following the conviction of an asylum seeker.

- By CLAIRE HARRISON

A jury found Ahmad Mulakhil guilty of the rape, abduction and taking indecent images of a girl, who cannot be identified, in Cheverel Place on July 22 last year.

At the time of his arrest and that of a co-accused, who was found not guilty there were several protests in the town centre last summer, including one which attracted hundreds of people.

Warwickshire Police force was accused of 'covering up' their immigration status, something that Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith denied and said they were following national guidance. But there has remained disquiet not only across the borough but across the wider country.

Speaking following the conviction of Mulakhil, Superintendent for Local Policing, Steve Flavell said that locally officers were working to restore trust and, to ultimately, make women and girls feel safe on the streets.

"The incident happened last year, it did impact the whole of the community, not just only in Nuneaton but the wider community in Warwickshire and probably nationally," he said.

"Although this was a tragic incident, the way that the police responded to it, was really effective, we identified the offenders really quickly, took robust action to get those responsible off the streets.