Tevin McLeod: Pilot jailed for rape of young girl after being arrested at airport

Suspect admits sexual assault after messages with victim revealed in court

Tevin McLeod will be jailed for more than seven years after admitting to rape and sexual assault of a young girl (West Midlands Police)

An airline pilot who was arrested moments after landing a plane has been jailed for raping a young girl.

Tevin McLeod was stopped by police at Manchester Airport on 7 September and charged the next day with the rape and sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

Although the 28-year-old initially denied the offences, Birmingham Crown Court heard how he sent a number of messages to the victim begging her not to report him.

In the messages, McLeod said his reputation would be tarnished if people found out about the incident, which happened between 2015 and 2016.

He told the girl he would lose his job as a pilot and go to jail for the assault.

McLeod, of no fixed address, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years on 8 November after admitting to rape and sexual assault.

“For a child to speak out and report sexual abuse is a huge deal for them and I commend the bravery of this young girl for confiding in someone,” Detective Constable Stewart Garratt, from West Midlands Police’s Child Abuse Public Protection Team, said.

“It's for these sorts of crimes involving children that we have a dedicated specialist department with officers specially trained to help young people through the judicial process.

“I've no doubt that the voice of this child has stopped other children being targeted.”

McLeod was also told he would be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) on his release.

SHPOs are issued to protect the general public or specific members of the public against serious sexual harm.

The prohibitions from such an order vary with each case and breaching a SHPO can be punished with a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Additional reporting by SWNS