A British Airways pilot has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison after admitting to raping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl whom 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 a 15-year restraining order.According to prosecutors, Yeboa first contacted the girl online in late 2025 after initially claiming to be 17 years old. However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was clear during their conversations, and certainly when they met in person, that she was a young child.CPS said Yeboah sent the girl intimate photos of himself and gradually steered their conversations toward sexual topics. He also called her regularly, which made her believe that he cared for her and that they were in a real relationship.In February, Yeboah traveled hundreds of miles from his home in Reading to the Wirral, Merseyside, to meet the girl. Prosecutors said he drove her before taking her to an isolated location, where he raped and sexually assaulted her.
The victim later told Merseyside Police that she felt stressed and confused and had difficulty understanding what was happening. These attacks came to light a few days later after one of her friends informed her mother, who reported the matter to the police.Investigators identified Yeboah using the details he shared with the girl. When he was arrested, he answered “no comment” to all questions during police interviews.Thomas Hanlon, lead prosecutor, said Yeboah “would have known early on” that the victim was much younger than she initially claimed.“She talked about school and sent pictures of herself in school uniform,” Hanlon said. “When he met her in person, it was clear she was a very young child.”He added: “He groomed the victim into believing she was in a relationship with someone he cared about. In reality, he was a grown man who abused his position and exploited her for his own sexual gratification.”Yeboah has worked as a First Officer at British Airways since 2023. He also spent over 17 years in basketball as a player and referee for the England Basketball team.