Three Afghan males were involved in two now-notorious rape cases against multiple teenage girls, as reported in just the first two days of the week beginning Monday, December 8th.
The arrest at the weekend of an Afghan migrant was announced on Monday, December 7th after he was reported for the rape of two teenage girls in Bolton, Greater Manchester. The suspect, Sultani Bakatash, is alleged to have contacted the 14-year-olds online before meeting and attacking them.
Bakatash, 26, is charged with two counts of rape of a girl under the age of 16, one count of sexual assault, and one count of assault by penetration. The case is currently being heard in court, and due to its sensitive nature, public access is restricted.
The charges brought against Bakatash broadly coincided with the separate conviction of two Afghan males, who both claim to be around 17 years old. The duo arrived from Afghanistan by ‘small boat,’ unaccompanied by adults. Asylum seekers Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal were sentenced to nine and 10 years in prison respectively, after confessing to raping a youngster in May in in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
The girl became separated from her friends, and then—in video footage obtained during the police investigation—Jahanzeb can be seen calling Niazal to join him. The case was classified as abduction because the girl verbally protested against the rape before the two boys dragged her away against her will.
The prosecutor described how “She was being led away against her will. She was moved to a bushy den-type area, a really secluded location.”
The victim has since spoken out, saying the day she was raped changed her as a person. She claims that now every time she goes out, she doesn’t feel safe, adding
I hate that people see me as a victim now, because that’s exactly what I am.
Summing up, the judge told the perpetrators:
What you two did on that evening 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.
You both knew perfectly well that what you were doing was criminal and wrong.
