AN Afghan migrant who was deported from England for raping a 12-year-old girl has tried to board a small boat back to the UK.

Emal Kochai was sentenced in 2014 after being found guilty of raping a young girl in Reading. After his nine-year sentence in 2019 he was deported to Afghanistan.

But the 28-year-old is now hoping to return to the UK and has been living in a French migrant camp for the past three months as he waits for an opportunity.

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Earlier this month, he attempted the journey but said police arrived and punctured the boat with a knife.

Speaking to The Times, he said he wants to return as he has ‘changed his ways’ and wants to ‘do something better’ with his life.

He said: “I don’t like telling people about it because they get the wrong idea about me. It was all a misunderstanding. 

“I have learnt now, I want to do something better. I had a hard life in prison and want to change my ways.”

Kochai originally denied the offence of rape but the court heard from the victim who described Kochai as ‘pushing her onto a bed, pulling off her clothing’ and raping her.

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Kochai was fostered by a woman in Hungerford in 2012 at the age of 17 and is still in touch with the foster family.

But the woman has urged him not to attempt the journey as she doesn’t want him to drown.

Speaking to The Times, she said: “His asylum case will be rejected because he’s been to prison. But he loves Britain, the British people, and he wants to come back.

“I’m concerned if he comes back. I want him to try another country, but he loves England. I told him not to get on a boat. I said, 'don’t do it'. I don’t want him to drown, he can’t swim."

She added: "We were devastated when we found out about the accusation, we couldn’t believe it. It was very sad that it happened.

"He moved out of our house because he was 18 and was with the wrong people. He got in trouble."

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Kochai concluded that he will ‘never give up’ trying to return to the UK as he can get an education, a job and a house.

He added that his brother was killed in Afghanistan and said it was ‘not safe’ for him there.