LONDON— A British Airways (BA) First Officer has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison after travelling across the country to abuse a 12-year-old girl he met online. The airline, headquartered near London Heathrow Airport (LHR), employed the man as a pilot at the time of the offences.
Kwame Yeboah, 30, was jailed for eight years and four months after pleading guilty to rape and sexual assault. The case has drawn attention because of his role with one of the United Kingdom’s largest carriers and his long association with organised basketball.
British Airways Pilot Was Brought to Justice
Yeboah first contacted the child in late 2025 through Instagram. The girl initially told him she was 17, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it would have been obvious to him that she was much younger.
The court heard that Yeboah sent the girl intimate images of himself and that the conversations became increasingly sexual. He called her around twice a week, leading her to believe she was important to him and that he genuinely cared for her.
In February, Yeboah travelled from his home in Reading to Wirral, Merseyside, to meet the child in person. He drove her to an isolated location and assaulted her three times. The victim later told Merseyside Police that she struggled to process the events and felt nervous and confused.
How the Case Came to Light
A few days after the assault, a friend of the victim told the girl’s mother what had happened. The incident was reported to police, and officers identified Yeboah using the personal details he had given the child during their contact.
When arrested and interviewed, Yeboah answered “no comment” to every question. On 22 April, he pleaded guilty to three counts of rape of a girl under 13 and one count of sexual assault of a girl under 13. Alongside the prison term, he received a 15-year restraining order.
Career Background of the Convicted Pilot
According to his LinkedIn profile, Yeboah had worked for British Airways as a First Officer since 2023. He is a UK national and was an active member of the airline’s flight crew at the time of his crimes.
Outside of aviation, Yeboah spent more than 17 years playing basketball and refereeing with Basketball England, giving him a significant public profile within the sport.
Prosecution Response
Thomas Hanlon, senior crown prosecutor, said Yeboah would have known early in his contact that the girl was not the age she first claimed.
He noted that she spoke about school and sent images of herself in a school uniform, and that her young age would have been clear when they met in person.
Hanlon added that Yeboah groomed the victim into believing she was in a caring relationship, when in reality he was an adult who abused his position and exploited her for his own gratification.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News
