A Pakistani asylum seeker who was living in taxpayer-funded accommodation last year raped a vulnerable 18-year-old woman while she was alone in a park in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.
Before being convicted on Monday, Sheraz Malik, 28, had his asylum status hidden from the public by Judge Nirmal Shant, who prevented the press from reporting on it until the end of his trial.
But Lee Anderson, Reform MP for the constituency in which this crime took place, revealed his status last summer, asking: “Why would it affect the trial … I will not shut up and do not care about the consequences.”
Party leader Nigel Farage publicly backed Anderson’s stance last July by quoting his tweet.
Following the conviction, Anderson told the Daily Mail:
This animal should’ve never been allowed into our country. This government is wholly responsible.
It’s quite obvious that the police and the whole judiciary were very reluctant to allow the public the true identity of this vile creature.
The public deserves better which is why I exposed the truth.
Anderson added on Tuesday that he “would and will do it again.”
An alleged accomplice to Malik has been identified by police as an Afghan national. He is understood to be abroad in hiding.
Malik will be sentenced at a later date.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
