NOTTINGHAM, UK — A Zimbabwean woman who persuaded a schoolgirl to enter her home before locking her inside and subjecting her to a sustained sexual assault has been jailed for six years and four months.

Karen Murerwa, 34, approached the girl as she walked near Seaton Crescent in Nottingham on March 10, 2026.

The pair did not know each other.

But after convincing the schoolgirl to accompany her to her house, Murerwa allegedly locked the door behind them, leaving the girl unable to leave.

The frightened schoolgirl tried to work out where the keys had been placed and took note of details inside the property because she wanted to find her way home, the court heard.

Murerwa then allegedly tightened her grip over the girl, giving her alcohol, taking away her phone and instructing her to send a message to her mother claiming that she was with a friend.

The girl was later taken upstairs, where Murerwa subjected her to a sustained sexual assault before eventually allowing her to leave the house.

The ordeal came to light after the victim disclosed what had happened.

An investigation followed, leading to Murerwa’s arrest and prosecution.

Murerwa pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault by penetration and a further count of false imprisonment.

She was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, September 10, to six years and four months behind bars.

The court also imposed a lifetime sexual harm prevention order, restricting Murerwa’s future conduct in order to protect potential victims.

She must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

The sentence brings the case to a close after a calculated sequence of events in which a stranger gained the schoolgirl’s trust, isolated her inside a house and subjected her to sexual violence.