Two teenage asylum seekers from Afghanistan face possible deportation after being detained for abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl.
Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17, led the “highly-distressed” victim away from friends near Leamington town centre to a secluded “den-type” area in parkland, where they pushed her to the ground and attacked her.
Sentencing the pair at Warwick Crown Court on Monday, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano said they ignored the victim’s “vigorous protests” and told them what they did “changed her life forever”.
“No child should have to suffer the ordeal that she suffered. It’s clear from the footage we have seen that no one can seriously entertain the thought that you believed she was consenting,” she said.
“You both knew perfectly well that what you were doing was criminal and wrong,” the judge added.
‘Highly distressing’
After lifting reporting restrictions protecting the identities of the defendants, the judge told them they had “betrayed” those who come to Britain seeking sanctuary and who observed the law.
Both defendants were unaccompanied child asylum seekers who arrived in the UK last year, prosecutor Shawn Williams said.
The incident happened in May of this year.
“Highly distressing” phone video found by police showed the victim screamed for help, but Jahanzeb placed his hand over her mouth.
CCTV footage showed that after being led away against her will, the terrified victim was “moved to a bushy den-type area – a really secluded location” before, according to her, she was “pushed to her knees before being raped”.
“The prosecution case is that it was probably Jahanzeb that did that, but what is certain is that Israr Niazal was present and participating,” Mr Williams said.
The victim had made “explicit verbal protests” during what Mr Williams described as an abduction.
What are their sentences?
Jahanzeb, who has already been served with deportation notification papers, was given 10 years, eight months’ youth detention.
Niazal, who may also be deported, was sentenced to nine years and 10 months.
They will start their sentences in a young offenders’ institution and move to prison at a later date, police said.
Both pleaded guilty to rape at an earlier hearing.
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Detective Chief Inspector Richard Hobbs said the offenders “went out of their way to befriend the victim with the intention of raping her”.
“The length of their sentence reflects the severity of their crime and the need to protect the public from them,” he added.
After sentence was passed, Judge de Bertodano said the victim had been “beyond brave” in attending court at a previous stage, when the defendants had intended to plead not guilty.
They were both ordered to register as sex offenders.
