A Jewish man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting young girls he met through social media.
Abraham Ibrahim, of Woodmill Road in Clapton, East London, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse offences in September last year after the parents of a 14-year-old girl found explicit images on her phone, the Metropolitan Police said.
The 21-year-old contacted his victims through social media messaging apps.
After exchanging messages, Ibrahim arranged to meet one of the victims outside of London in June 2018, going on to commit a number of serious sexual offences against her.
He also communicated with another girl aged 14, who lived in London, meeting her several times and engaged in sexual activity.
After a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, a jury found Ibrahim guilty of nine counts relating to child sexual offences.
They included causing a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child, attempting to sexually communicate with a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child.
He was also convicted of three counts of possession of indecent images of children, and one count of meeting a child following sexual grooming.
Known locally as Avi Karni, Ibrahim is a Yemenite Jew who was brought to the UK as a child by London’s Satmar Chasidic leaders, according to reports.
His 29-year-old brother, Yousef, was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice, after he contacted one of the victim’s friends “and asked her to change her story”.
Both men will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on September 27.
Detective Inspector Mark Rogers, who led the investigation, said: “Abraham Ibrahim was a lone opportunist offender who targeted his young victims on social media platforms knowing they were vulnerable, pursuing them for his own sexual gratification.
“Yousef Abraham has tried to influence the course of the investigation. His actions were utterly reckless, misguided, and resulted in his conviction.
“I like would to praise the children and their families who have shown great courage in supporting the investigation and giving evidence in a difficult and traumatic court case.
“Thankfully, these types of crime are rare. The internet is a fantastic resource enabling young people to socialise and learn. Unfortunately, it can also be used by predatory offenders to target children.
“We will robustly investigate any child sex offences committed online, and I would urge any young person who has experienced unsolicited contact to report it to police.”
