Ishmael Mohammed, 39, a Ghanaian man, has been detained by UK authorities after he had sex with three minor girls, two of whom were 14 years old and the other 13 years old.
In a widely shared video, Mohammed is seen being questioned and confronted by some officials.
At one point, when presented with proof of his relationship with the girls—including asking to take their nude photos—he breaks down in tears.
“I don’t know what to do again; please arrest me,” he stated.
According to GhanaWeb investigations, the video of his apprehension surfaced online in February 2024.
Although acknowledging his interaction with the girls and a five-hour journey to meet one of them, Ishmael refuted any malicious intentions towards the minors.
“Why did you arrange to meet her then? Why did you ask for pictures just in her pants? And you were going to buy her a new phone just to have better pictures?” a male interrogator is heard saying.
“So you’ve asked for indecent images of a child as well,” the female official also adds.
Similar to Ghana, the UK has a 16-year-old legal age of consent for sexual activity. Therefore, having sex or engaging in sexual activity with a child under the age of sixteen is illegal.
Underage sex is punishable in the UK by up to life in prison, depending on a number of factors, including the age difference. This is because the act is considered statutory rape.
A 30-year-old Ghanaian man was taken into custody by UK authorities in 2023 after exchanging sexually suggestive texts and images of his penis with a 14-year-old girl.
The man said to police in an interrogation video that he had only been in the UK for a month.