Police missed chance to stop murderer
DETECTIVES were facing difficult questions last night after it emerged that Mujahid Arshid featured in a 2013 investigation into child abuse and internet paedophiles.
Four years before he murdered Celine Dookhran he sent a naked picture of the woman who would survive the Kingston attack to an undercover police officer.
A review of the case has been launched amid fears detectives missed a golden opportunity to get the sex killer off the streets in 2014 when he was interviewed about his lust for rape during a police sting. An undercover police officer had made contact with him in 2013 through a chat room and Arshid sent him the picture he had taken, asking him: ‘How would you like to **** a 17-year-old virgin?’
Asked who the girl was, he replied: ‘ My girlfriend... wanna force **** the bitch? Drug and **** her.’
In a later Skype chat, Arshid said: ‘ I’m keeping her for the right moment, I’m thinking in late November when the sun comes up very late because she will be home alone from about 7.45... we will have her until about 3.30 to 4ish.’
Arshid told the officer: ‘These type of girls deserve rape. Lol.’
When he was questioned in 2014 Arshid insisted a man he worked with had sent the messages and no further action was taken.
Last night the Metropolitan Police said the internet chat in October 2013 was part of a wider police investigation into child abuse and paedophilia.
‘In April 2014 Mujahid Arshid was interviewed under caution by police as part of this investigation,’ the Met said. ‘The device used to communicate with the undercover officer could not be traced.
‘All of the evidence at the disposal of the investigating team was reviewed and put to the Crown Prosecution Service who ultimately made a decision there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction. Arshid was released with no further action.’
The CPS said the file received from the Met in 2014 was fully reviewed and ‘it was decided that the case did not pass the evidential stage so as to be able to charge the individual concerned with any offence’.