AN ILLEGAL immigrant who repeatedly molested a vulnerable teenager ‘used her shamefully’, a court heard.

Married father Zia Maroof Khail, 29, groomed his victim into have sex with him when she was just 13.

A judge was told how the youngster, from Blackburn, thought she and the defendant, who is from Afghanistan, were ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ and that they were in love.

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He was abusive towards her if she refused his advances, Preston Crown Court heard.

Maroof Khail, who claimed he was not aware of the ‘cultural norms’ in the UK, was given an 11-year extended sentence after being found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child. He will also face deportation when he is released from jail.

Judge Graham Knowles told the defendant: “I am clear that you were abusing her. She was a child. You groomed her and you used her shamefully.”

Prosecutors said the affair started when Maroof Khail, who is more than twice as old as his victim, winked at the girl in a park.

Maroof Khail, formerly of Holland Street, Blackburn, kept on approaching the youngster as she took a regular path to a relative’s home.

The first time they spoke, the paedophile stopped the girl in an alley, told her he loved her and gave her a note with his mobile number on it.

The youngster tore up the piece of paper. However she was able to remember the number, which led to them chatting on social media. Mark Lamberty, prosecuting, said Maroof Khail began following the child each week on her routine visits.

He said: “Then as part of her day, when the girl was going to school, she would visit the defendant at his home twice a week.

“She says that he was abusive to her if she refused to cooperate in sexual conduct.”

Maroof Khail also forced the teenager to have sex with him in an alleyway and at her home.

The victim’s mother, who made a statement for the court, said her daughter had been left traumatised.

Mr Lamberty said: “The mother indicates that she is angry about the whole situation. Her daughter has low self-esteem and tends to self harm.”

The allegations came to the police’s attention when the girl made a complaint about other men who she said had abused her, the court heard.

Officers said they eventually tracked Maroof Khail down after his DNA, which was found in her underwear, was matched on a database at Colnbrook Immigration Centre, at Heathrow Airport, where he was waiting to be deported.

Simon Mintz, defending, said his client’s jail term would be ‘harder to bear’ because of his lack of English. He said: “But bear it he must.”

Judge Knowles ordered Maroof Khail to spend eight years behind bars, with the remaining three years of his sentence to be spent on licence. He was made subject to notification requirements, a sexual offences prevention order and will be on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

The judge, who said the deportation would be dealt with by the appropriate authorities, said: “Finding grown men attractive or interesting is a part of growing up for teenage girls.

“They are entitled to be left alone with their thoughts, not groomed by men who want underage sex.”

Speaking after the hearing DC Madeleine Barrientos, said: “The length of the sentence passed shows the gravity of the offences on this extremely vulnerable girl. T “She is still struggling, but she has lots of support and help.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “We do not comment on individual cases. Foreign nationals who commit crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them — we have removed more than 22,000 since 2010.”

AN ILLEGAL immigrant who repeatedly molested a vulnerable teenager ‘used her shamefully’, a court heard.

Married father Zia Maroof Khail, 29, groomed his victim into having sex with him when she was 13.

A judge was told how the youngster, from Blackburn, thought she and the defendant were ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ and that they were in love.

He was abusive towards her if she refused his advances, Preston Crown Court heard.

Maroof Khail, who claimed he was not aware of the ‘cultural norms’ in the UK, was given an 11-year extended sentence after being found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child. He will also face deportation when he is released from jail.

Judge Graham Knowles told the defendant: “I am clear that you were abusing her. She was a child. You groomed her and you used her shamefully.”

Prosecutors said the affair started when Maroof Khail, who is more than twice as old as his victim, winked at the girl in a park. Maroof Khail, formerly of Holland Street, Blackburn. kept on approaching the youngster as she took a regular path to a relative’s home.

The first time they spoke, the paedophile stopped the girl in an alley, told her he loved her and gave her a note with his mobile number on it.

The youngster tore up the piece of paper. However she was able to remember the number, which led to them chatting on social media.

Mark Lamberty, prosecuting, said Maroof Khail began following the child each week on her routine visits.

He said: “Then as part of her day, when the girl was going to school, she would visit the defendant at his home. She visited about twice a week.

“She says that he was abusive to her if she refused to cooperate in sexual conduct. After that act, the defendant would order a taxi to take her to school.”

Maroof Khail also forced the teenager to have sex with him in an alleyway and at her home. He offered to give her a mobile phone so that they could stay in touch. The victim’s mother, who made a victim personal statement for the court, said her daughter had been left traumatised by what the defendant did to her.

Mr Lamberty said: “The mother indicates that she is angry about the whole situation.

“She also explains that the victim is withdrawn from the family and has isolated herself.

“She has low self-esteem and tends to self harm.”

The allegations came to the police’s attention when the girl made a complaint about other men who she said had abused her, the court heard.

Officers said they eventually tracked Maroof Khail down after his DNA, which was found in her underwear and on a sofa, was matched on a database at Colnbrook Immigration Centre, at Heathrow Airport, where he was waiting to be deported.

Simon Mintz, defending, said his client’s jail term would be ‘harder to bear’ because of his lack of English.

He said: “He is so far from home and his family with no English.

“But bear it he must.”

Judge Knowles ordered Maroof Khail to spend eight years behind bars, with the remaining three years of his sentence to be spent on license.

He was also made subject to notification requirements, a sexual offences prevention order and will be on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

The judge, who said the deportation would be dealt with by the appropriate authorities, told the defendant: “Finding grown men attractive or interesting is a part of growing up for teenage girls.

“They are entitled to be left alone with their thoughts, not groomed by men who want underage sex.

“They are vulnerable to exploitation. The blame when it happens lies with men like you.

“As usual when children are sexually abused, it would be naive to think that the full impact is anything like fully apprehended in these early days.

“There is a significant risk or serious harm to other people from the commission of further specific offences by you.”

Speaking after the hearing DC Madeleine Barrientos, said: “The length of the sentence passed shows the gravity of the offences on this extremely vulnerable girl. T “She is still struggling, but she has lots of support and help.”