A former senior policy advisor to the US government who flew to the UK to have sex with a girl who he believed to be nine-years-old has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years.
International investment banker Rahamim Shy, 47, travelled to Bedfordshire from New York in February 2024 to have sex with the girl following more than a month of planning.
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Before his trial, the defence argued that Shy was in the USA at the time of the messaging, therefore was jurisdictionally exempt from prosecution.
However, prosecutors with CPS Thames and Chiltern successfully argued that English courts have jurisdiction to try offences committed abroad that are intended to result in criminal offences in England. That defence was subsequently abandoned.
During his trial, the prosecution used extensive digital and physical evidence to prove Shy's intent to commit sexual offences against the girl.
His depraved messages were laid bare, as were recorded voice messages and calls. He also attempted to erase messages on a specific messaging app shortly after arriving in the UK.
