'Lonely' asylum-seeking Leeds predator claimed he had 'no time to meet women'

Unfortunately for predator Kalid Oryakhel, the two underage girls he latched onto were both decoy profiles run by paedophile hunter groups, Leeds Crown Court was told.

He sent them photos and even a video of him masturbating. The 26-year-old, who had been living at the Mercure Hotel on Otley Road, Leeds, started what the judge described as a “perverted campaign” in September last year when he sent a friend request to a supposed 13-year-old, which began with innocent questions.

But when the conversation moved to WhatsApp, he began asking for photos, and asked her if she had ever kissed a boy. He then suggested they meet because he was lonely.

He then “turned the conversation in a sexual direction”, prosecutor David Povall said, suggesting he “make love” to her in the garden of the hotel where he was staying. He later sent the three-minute sex act video.

But a day later, he moved onto another profile of a supposed 14-year-old girl, asking her for explicit photos and asking her to visit him at the hotel.

Oryakhel admitted six offences including attempted two counts of sexual communication with a child, two of attempting to cause a child to watch sexual act, attempt to cause or incite child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

Mitigating, Rodney Ferm claimed Oryakhel had “normal” sexual desires towards women. He said: “Without seeking to diminish his responsibility, it’s necessary to look at the context. He came here illegally and came to live in somewhat isolated circumstances. He had little to do and much time on his hands. It was situation specific more than an interest in children.”

The judge, Recorder Sam Green KC, jailed him for 45 months, put him on the sex offenders register for life and gave him a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) until further notice.

Describing it as “predatory grooming behaviour”, he added: “Mr Ferm says you have ‘normal’ sexual interests in women but did not have sufficient opportunity to meet adult females. Whether or not that is right, it does not begin to excuse or explain what you were doing.”