Pakistan, Feb. 11 -- A UK court on Tuesday convicted an Afghan man of raping a 12-year-old girl in a case that drew widespread attention after police initially withheld details about the suspect's asylum status, triggering protests and political debate.

Read More: Jamshedpur child rape case - Anushka calls for 'severe

Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was found guilty at Warwick Crown Court of two counts of raping a child under the age of 13. The offences occurred in July last year in Nuneaton, a town in central England. Mulakhil had previously pleaded guilty to an additional count of rape and was also convicted of abducting a child, two counts of sexual assault and making indecent images of a child.

Prosecutors told the court that Mulakhil led the ...