A man from Minnesota is going to prison for raping a 12-year-old girl in the back of his car while she was “playing” in her backyard. Prosecutors say he tried to start a relationship with the girl over the phone afterward and then blamed her mother, “claiming she is behind everything.”
Qalinle Dirie, 42, was given a 12-year prison term last Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court. He was found guilty in May of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for the attack in Minneapolis in June 2024. Dirie is a first-time criminal, and court records show that he “continues to deny” that he sexually assaulted the 12-year-old victim on a Wednesday in the 1900 block of Sheridan Avenue North. The victim was snatched from her home.
Dirie’s criminal charge said, “The victim said she often saw the suspect driving by her house in a white Toyota with four doors.”
“Victim said that she had been playing in her backyard one day when the man stopped behind her home in the alley and got out to talk to her and asked if her mom was home,” it said. “He left when she told him no, but he came back ten minutes later.” He put his hand over her mouth and picked her up with the other hand when he got back. The victim said that he pushed her into the car and hit her in the head, which made her feel dizzy and lost.
The girl said that Dirie took her a few blocks away from her house, stopped, and then got into the car with her. After he stopped sexually assaulting her, she said he left bodily fluids at the scene, which she kept and gave to the cops.
“Victim said was able to get out of the car and run home where she went into the bathroom and remained for a period of time,” the complaint said.
The girl told her school counselor on June 10, 2024, that she had been sexually attacked. She was then taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center for a sexual assault exam.
Police thought the calls were from Dirie and were made by someone named “Mohamed Muuse” to the 12-year-old’s cellphone a month later. The calls were ignored, according to the charge. It is said that the relative, who was described as an older brother, asked who the person was and then started messaging them on Snapchat. On July 29, Dirie’s brother picked up one of his calls and heard him say, “Hey, beautiful!” I miss you! “When can I see you again?” and then hung up.
When Dirie’s brother asked where he was, he said he was “14 minutes away” from the family home. The adult told police that the sibling asked Dirie to come over while still claiming to be the 12-year-old in order to confront him. This is what the complaint says.
“When Dirie arrived, he walked onto the front porch, which is screened in,” officials said. “He tried to get away when he saw the victim’s brother and stepfather waiting for him in the living room.” While 911 was being called, the brother stood in front of the door.
When Dirie was being arrested, he first said he “never met” the victim. Later, he told the cops, “She told me she is 19 years old.” “I don’t understand why,” the lawsuit says.
In their sentencing memo, prosecutors in Hennepin County said Dirie didn’t feel “any remorse for his actions” or have “any insight” into how they “harmed the victim.”
“Defendant still blames the victims’ mother, claiming she is behind everything,” the file said. “Defendant’s refusal to admit that his actions were harmful only shows that he is unwilling to cooperate or be open to individualized treatment for sex offenders, let alone individualized treatment for sex offenders in a probationary setting.” Also, the fact that Defendant admitted guilt and felt bad about what he did would not make up for how bad his acts were.
Before Dirie was sentenced, he and his lawyer tried to get family members to write statements asking the court to be kind. One of these statements was from Dirie’s dad, Ahmed Dirie Isse, who said that Dirie was a “devoted father to his four sons.”
“Our family has been in a lot of pain since he was arrested,” Isse said. “This situation has been awful for all of us, and I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights.” We’ve never been through anything like this before.”
Isse said he “cannot bear the thought” of Dirie’s boys “growing up without their father.” Case records show that he didn’t talk about the victim or what happened, and neither did any of his other family members.
Prosecutors said in their sentencing memo, “The statements show that either Defendant has not told them what he was convicted of or that they are ignoring his crime.”
“Family members are focused on the impact this has had on him and the family; none of them acknowledge the victim and her family,” they said. “While they cite that he is a person of good character, it is more likely that this offense is a side of him they did not know about, nor do they want to know about; but quite simply, sexual assault on a child is not something a person of good character does.”
