Abdulali Mohammad Siddiqi faces court accused of grooming 13-year-old Brisbane girl

A US electrician has been accused of grooming a 13-year-old Brisbane girl online for years, before flying to Australia and violently abusing her. WARNING: Graphic content.

A US citizen has been accused of grooming a Brisbane teenager online for years, before flying to Australia and violently abusing her.

A US citizen has been accused of grooming a Brisbane teenager online for years, before flying to Australia and violently abusing her.

Abdulali Mohammad Siddiqi, 26, made an application for bail in Brisbane’s Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.

Magistrate Tina Previtera said the American electrician had allegedly groomed a girl from Queensland for a two-and-a-half year period, commencing when the girl was just 13.

The court heard there were texts in evidence between the two in which Siddiqi had asked the girl for nude images of herself and sent her an explicit video of himself.

Prosecutor Ms Markwell said Siddiqi had also sent the girl violent pornography and detailed in texts how he wanted to rape her and otherwise inflict sexual abuse upon her.

She said the girl had claimed that when she met Siddiqi online, he had been following hundreds of accounts of young girls – but that there was no evidence of this aside from the girl’s statement.

Ms Previtera said it was alleged Siddiqi had travelled to Australia specifically to meet the girl, and that he had no other ties to the country.

She said Siddiqi had pressed the girl for her home address, and sent her gifts and money.

The court heard the girl had blocked Siddiqi, but that he had allegedly made new profiles and sent her harassing messages until she unblocked him again.

Ms Previtera said Siddiqi’s actions demonstrated more than an infatuation, but instead a dangerous obsession with the girl.

“Your pursuit of the complainant has been relentless and persistent and threatening, when you knew that she was a child,” Ms Previtera said.

It is alleged that in October last year, Siddiqi violently raped the girl, slapping her face with force multiple times and using a razor to cut her thigh.

Siddiqi is charged with three counts of rape, two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, using the internet to procure a child under 16, possessing child exploitation material, distributing child exploitation material, and involving a child in making child exploitation material.

At Siddiqi’s bail application on Thursday, defence lawyer Ali Rana said his client was in Australia on a holiday visa, which would expire next Wednesday, January 22.

He accepted there was a strong Crown case against Siddiqi, but said there may be some dispute in respect to the rape charges.

Mr Rana said there was no evidence his client, who had no criminal history, posed any risk to the wider community.

He submitted that strict daily reporting conditions could adequately mitigate any risk Siddiqi posed to the complainant.

Mr Rana said Siddiqi’s sister, who resided in the United States, had booked an Airbnb in Brisbane as a bail address.

But the court heard the Airbnb’s host was currently being investigated for an alleged indecent assault offence and had only recently been released from custody.

Ms Previtera said she was not satisfied that any conditions could mitigate the risks Siddiqi posed to the girl.

“He will not give up – he has not given up according to the evidence,” she said.

She said the evidence was “very strong” in relation to the procurement and child exploitation material charges, given the text messages in evidence.

“Overall this behaviour is so concerning, so persistent, so potentially dangerous … You have no ties to this community, you know no one in this community, you have no job in this community,” Ms Previtera said.

“You only know the complainant, and you know where she lives.”

“You have constantly persistently harassed her when she has made attempts to block you. That has had not had any effect upon you whatsoever except to escalate your behaviour.”

Ms Previtera denied Siddiqi’s bail, and adjourned the matter to February 21.

Originally published as Abdulali Mohammad Siddiqi faces court accused of grooming 13-year-old Brisbane girl