Lawyers for teen asylum seekers say ‘horrific’ footage of schoolgirl rape is a ‘riot risk’
In a case that has sent shockwaves through a quiet English town, two young asylum seekers face justice for a crime that has left a community reeling.
The footage was so disturbing that it was feared it could spark riots if released to the public. (Image: Warwickshire Police)
Two Afghan asylum seekers, both 17, have been handed lengthy prison sentences for the brutal rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, who had arrived in the UK just months earlier by small boat, carried out the shocking attack on May 10, with the victim herself capturing the ordeal on her phone.
According to the Daily Mail, the footage, described as “genuinely horrific” by one of the defendants’ own lawyers, was so disturbing that it was feared it could spark riots if released to the public.
Joshua Radcliffe, representing Niazal, warned the court, “I have no doubt that if the general public were exposed to that, we would have disorder on our hands.”
Victim’s harrowing screams and desperate pleas caught on camera
In the distressing three-minute clip played at Warwick Crown Court, the schoolgirl can be heard crying, “you’re going to rape me,” as she is dragged away from friends she had been drinking with.
The video also captures her desperate screams for help and heart-wrenching pleas not to be taken to the park, where she was ultimately forced to perform a sex act on her attackers.
Judge Sylvia de Bertodano, who sentenced Jahanzeb to ten years and eight months and Niazal to nine years and ten months, also accepted a legal challenge mounted by the Daily Mail, allowing the defendants to be named for the first time.
She admonished the pair for “betraying the interests” of genuine refugees and said they “should feel a deep and lasting sense of shame.”
Lawyer attempts to censor press reporting on attackers’ backgrounds
Robert Holt, defending Jahanzeb, made the extraordinary request that the judge prevent the press from even mentioning that the defendants were Afghan asylum seekers, in an apparent attempt to downplay their backgrounds.
The victim, in a powerful impact statement, revealed how the rape has profoundly affected her life, robbing her of her childhood and leaving her feeling unsafe. She shared that the trauma has also impacted her education and school life during the crucial time of her GCSE exams.
Deportation recommended, but one attacker may stay
While the judge confirmed she would recommend the Home Secretary consider deporting both attackers, Niazal may be allowed to stay in the country as he pleaded guilty a day before turning 17, making him too young to qualify for automatic deportation. His barrister even suggested this would allow the younger rapist to “make a life for himself in this country” upon release.
Attackers lived in taxpayer-funded housing
At the time of the attack, Jahanzeb and Niazal were living in taxpayer-funded houses, having arrived in the UK by small boat as unaccompanied children.
Jahanzeb had reportedly only succeeded in making the crossing in January, after three previous failed attempts that saw French police repeatedly cutting up his dinghy.
The case has highlighted the potential dangers of releasing such disturbing footage to the public, with the lawyer’s stark warning about the risk of disorder serving as a chilling reminder of the impact such evidence could have if widely circulated.
