A man who raped a 12-year-old girl after befriending her on social media has been sentenced to nine years in jail.

Driss Serhir, 21, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of three counts of rape at Harrow Crown Court on May 4, following an investigation led by North West borough command unit’s predatory offender unit, which covers Barnet, Brent and Harrow.

He was sentenced to nine years for each offence, to be served concurrently. at the same court on Monday - July 18.

He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for life and given a 15-year sexual harm and prevention order.

Officers believe there may be other victims and are encouraging anyone with information to come forward.

The investigation into Serhir’s movements and communications suggest he was in contact with many girls aged between 10 and 15 years old and that he has visited Greater London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and the West Midlands using several aliases.

Serhir, who was aged 18 at the time of the offences, befriended the victim on Snapchat and in October 2019 she agreed to meet him in central London.

That day Serhir intimated he was in possession of a knife and a gun and took the victim’s mobile phone.

He then booked a hotel room where he sexually assaulted her several times.

A forensic examination proved that semen found on the clothing of the victim was a match to Driss Serhir, and he had booked the hotel room on his phone using a different name.

Videos of him with the girl in the hotel room were found on his phone, and search terms including the word ‘rape’ were found in his search history.

Sgt PJ Jones, who led the investigation, said: “Driss Serhir is a predatory offender who was callous, not only in his offending, but on his insistence on putting his victim through the trial process.

“I would like to hear from anyone who recognises him or who has any concerns about his behaviour.

"We have specially trained officers and work alongside partners who can offer a wide range of support."

Anyone wishing to make contact can call 101 quoting reference 4798/18JUL22.