Afghan Asylum Seekers Jailed for Rape of Schoolgirl Who Filmed Her Own Abduction

Two teenage asylum seekers have been imprisoned for raping a 15-year-old girl in an attack she documented on her phone in footage described as “genuinely horrific” by legal professionals.

Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17 and from Afghanistan, had arrived in the UK on small boats just months before attacking the schoolgirl in a Leamington Spa park on May 10. The victim captured three minutes of distressing footage showing herself being dragged away from friends while crying “you’re going to rape me” and pleading for help.

At Warwick Crown Court, Jahanzeb received a sentence of ten years and eight months, while Niazal was jailed for nine years and ten months. Judge Sylvia de Bertodano granted a legal challenge by the Daily Mail allowing the perpetrators to be named publicly for the first time.

The court heard how the teenagers forced the girl to perform a sex act in a secluded area before she managed to escape. She was later found by a passer-by who brought her to police, where forensic evidence was collected. Both defendants were living in taxpayer-funded accommodation at the time

In her victim impact statement, the girl explained how the assault destroyed her carefree teenage years and affected her education during GCSE examinations. “The day I was raped changed me as a person,” she told the court. “I’m no longer a happy, carefree teenager. This was my first sexual experience.”

Judge de Bertodano stated the defendants had “betrayed the interests” of genuine refugees and “robbed her of her childhood.” She recommended both face deportation, though Niazal may avoid removal because he pleaded guilty before turning 17—below the qualifying age for deportation.

Niazal’s barrister Joshua Radcliffe described the phone footage as so disturbing that public exposure could cause “disorder.” Meanwhile, Jahanzeb’s lawyer Robert Holt unsuccessfully requested restrictions preventing the press from identifying them as Afghan asylum seekers.

The judge rejected cultural difference arguments, stating: “I don’t accept that either of you does not understand the concept of consent. I’m satisfied you both knew perfectly well that what you were doing was criminal and wrong.”

Both teenagers admitted the attack in October. Jahanzeb had made the Channel crossing in January following three failed attempts where French authorities intercepted his dinghy.