Kwame Yeboah, A British Airways Pilot Jailed for Grooming and Raping 12-Year-Old Girl He Met Online

A former British Airways pilot has thrown away a promising career after being sentenced for the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl he groomed online.

Kwame Yeboah, 30, from Reading, Berkshire, was jailed for eight years and four months at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. He will serve an additional year on licence and has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life. He was also handed a 15-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.

Yeboah, who had been working as a First Officer for British Airways since 2023 and was previously a former England youth basketball international, first contacted the schoolgirl in late 2025 via the video chat platform Omegle, before moving their conversations to Instagram.

Despite clear indicators of her young age — including references to school tests and photos in her school uniform. Yeboah pursued an explicit online relationship with her, exchanging sexual messages, photographs, and video calls. The girl had initially told him she was 17, but prosecutors said it would have been obvious she was a child.

In February 2026, Yeboah drove approximately 200 miles from Reading to the Wirral in Merseyside. He picked up the girl at night, drove her around, and took her to an isolated location where he raped her three times. He also admitted to one count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration.

Yeboah pleaded guilty to all charges on April 22, 2026. Sentencing him, the judge described him as a “dangerous predator” who exploited his position as an older professional.

Detective Constable Roxana Tusa of Merseyside Police said after the hearing: “Our investigation has proved that Yeboah is a dangerous sexual offender who will now begin a significant jail sentence for his abhorrent crimes.” The force praised the young victim’s courage in coming forward despite the trauma she continues to endure.

British Airways confirmed Yeboah was sacked as soon as the airline learned of his crimes.

The case has sparked widespread outrage online, with many condemning the act as a shocking betrayal of trust and questioning whether the sentence adequately reflects the severity of targeting and abusing a child.

Yeboah’s fall from a respected position as a commercial pilot serving passengers to a convicted child sex offender serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of such predatory behaviour. His career, reputation, and freedom are now in ruins all for exploiting a vulnerable 12-year-old girl.