One of Britain’s youngest rapists who brutally attacked woman when he was aged just 13 is brought back to court for failing to tell police he was going on holiday

A convicted rapist who shocked the nation when he carried out a brutal sex attack on a woman when he was just 13 has been brought back to court for failing to tell police he was going on holiday.

Balal Khan sparked horror when it emerged he had attacked a woman as she walked home in 2009 while barely into his teens, making him one of Britain’s youngest rapists.

Amid outrage over the case, Conservative MP David Davies – now Welsh Secretary – was accused of a ‘crass misunderstanding’ by linking the attack to some ethnic minority communities importing ‘barbaric and medieval’ views about women into Britain.

Khan was sentenced to three years in a young offenders’ institution in 2010 after admitting rape and robbery – with a judge lifting restrictions preventing the publication of his name and mugshot as a ‘deterrent’ to others.

The schoolboy was spared a longer term after his lawyer stressed his young age – and that he had said sorry.

But at the age of 28, Khan found himself back in court for breaching the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register by going to Spain – the third time he has failed to comply with restrictions since his release.

Under the terms of the order, he has to give seven days’ notice of foreign travel.

But Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he went to Girona and Barcelona for four days last June without informing Staffordshire Police.

He was arrested after Border Control at Manchester Airport alerted his supervising officer.

However this time Khan walked free from court with a 27-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months – although a judge warned him he could be locked up if he steps out of line again.

Prosecutor Antony Longworth said Khan was jailed in January 2010 and placed on the sex offenders’ register until further order.

But on June 5 Khan went to Girona and Barcelona without informing the police. He returned on June 8.

‘His return was notified by Border Control at Manchester Airport to his supervisor and risk assessor on June 9,’ Mr Longworth said:

‘He was arrested on June 12 and the officer seized his passport.’

The court heard the defendant claimed there was an emergency as an uncle had been involved in a car crash.

Khan, of Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register.

Milly Webb, mitigating, said: ‘He made an impulsive decision and prioritised having a break.

‘He has an obligation to ensure he follows the order. He did not. He has tried to put himself on the straight and narrow. He has no issues with substance misuse or drink.

‘It was very selfish to prioritise his own needs over the need to notify.

‘It has been a rude awakening to him. He knows what will happen if he steps out of line again.’

As part of the suspended sentence Khan must complete a rehabilitation activity requirement for 12 days and 60 hours’ unpaid work.

Judge Graeme Smith said: ‘This is the third occasion you have failed to comply with the requirements.

‘The more it happens the more likely you will be sent to custody.

‘You must be extremely careful that you continue to comply with these requirements.’

Khan targeted the 20-year-old woman as she walked home in Stoke-on-Trent in September 2009.

After running up behind her, he grabbed her neck before punching and kicking her in the face.

When she began screaming, he told her: ‘Do what I say or I’ll kill you’, and sexually assaulted her.

The teenager then stole the victim’s bag and phone. He later took a call from her boyfriend and bragged about what he had done.

Allowing the Press to name him the following year, Judge Paul Glenn said it would serve as a ‘deterrent’ to others.

He said an adult convicted of the same crime would have been jailed ‘for at least eight years’.

‘It was a terrifying experience for this woman and she will be left psychologically scarred,’ he added.

Khan’s barrister, Naomi Perry, had asked for a lesser sentence ‘because he had shown remorse for what he had done’.

‘We are dealing with a very immature man,’ she added.

Robert Price, prosecuting, had told the court: ‘The victim started screaming and attempted to get to her feet. Khan responded by punching her in the mouth and knocked her back on the ground.

‘He stood over her and kicked her to the side of her face. He started shouting at her and warned that if she struggled he would ‘kill’ her.’

Khan later sold her phone, but not before making a call to his parents’ home.

Call records later led police straight to Khan’s address.

In an interview he claimed he had tripped the victim and stolen her bag.

However, scientists found Khan’s DNA on swabs taken from her.

Following the case, David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth, told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘What is it about this young man’s upbringing … his community or his parental upbringing, that led him to think that women are second-class people whose rights can be trampled over like this?

‘There are some sensitive issues here, but there do seem to be some people in some communities who don’t respect women’s rights at all and who – if I may say, without necessarily saying that this is the case on this occasion – who have imported into this country barbaric and medieval views about women.’

But one academic accused him of ‘a crass misunderstanding of gender relations and why rape happens’, adding that there were ‘plenty of barbaric and backward’ attitudes among men in all sorts of communities, including white British.

Meanwhile then Welsh Secretary Peter Hain said he was appalled at the ‘inflammatory language’ used by Mr Davies, who currently holds the same Cabinet role.

And the Tory party said his comments did not reflect its views ‘in any way’.