Asylum Seeker Found Guilty of Park Rape After MP's Social Media Intervention
An asylum seeker whose immigration status was publicly revealed by Reform MP Lee Anderson has been convicted of raping a vulnerable teenage girl in a Nottinghamshire park. Sheraz Malik, 28, was found guilty of two counts of rape following a trial that heard disturbing details of the attack and subsequent attempts to conceal evidence.
Attack on Intoxicated Victim
The court heard that Malik and an accomplice targeted an 18-year-old girl who had been drinking vodka in Sutton Lawn park last summer. While her friend briefly left the area, the men were asked to keep an eye on the intoxicated teenager. Instead, prosecutors described how both men took advantage of her vulnerable state in a series of violent sexual assaults.
Nicholas Corsellis KC told Birmingham Crown Court: 'The defendant and another man decided to take advantage of this. The first man took her to an isolated area of the park when she said she needed to find somewhere to relieve herself. While there, the first man forcibly raped her before bringing her back to the group of men.'
'On their return, the defendant decided he wanted to have his way with her and took her to the secluded spot where he physically struck her while raping her.'
Disturbing Details Emerge in Court
Jurors heard that Malik dragged the victim by her hair to a tree before carrying out his attack. During the assault, he told the teenager: 'You're going to take it like a slut.' After finishing, he reportedly asked her: 'Did you enjoy that?' to which she responded 'no.'
Following the attacks, the victim immediately texted her friend pleading: 'Please help me.' In subsequent messages, she revealed: 'The f****** one you told to look after me he tried to rape me.' The attack occurred between 9pm and 10pm on June 29, with the victim reporting it to police the same night.
Flight and Arrest
Malik fled Sutton-in-Ashfield the day after attending a Home Office appointment in Sheffield on July 3. He boarded a coach to Newcastle using a false name, booked and paid for by a friend. Police arrested him in the city almost three weeks later. Forensic evidence proved crucial to the case, with DNA swabs returning a profile matching Malik from semen recovered after the attack.
MP's Social Media Posts Trigger Controversy
Reform MP Lee Anderson published posts on X and Facebook last summer revealing Malik's asylum status, despite police requests not to publicise the case for fear of jeopardising the prosecution. Anderson wrote: 'Enough is enough…I was asked not to go public on this matter as it might affect the trial. Why would it affect the trial….I will not shut up and do not care about the consequences.'
These posts triggered anti-immigrant protests in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Anderson's constituency, and led to the trial being moved from Nottingham to Birmingham due to increased publicity. At a September hearing, a judge imposed reporting restrictions preventing publication of Malik's immigration status until after the trial to avoid 'a substantial risk of prejudice to the administration of justice.'
Judicial Intervention
The same judge gave Anderson 18 days to voluntarily remove his social media posts or face potential contempt of court proceedings. Reporters were informed that while sitting in chambers, the judge warned the Ashfield MP about the consequences of his actions. The Judicial Communications Office confirmed no contempt proceedings were ultimately logged in relation to the case.
Defence Claims and Witness Testimony
Malik, assisted by a Pakistani Pashto interpreter, claimed the sexual activity was consensual and that the victim had removed her own clothing. During cross-examination, when asked why he took advantage of the drunk teenager, he responded: 'What else was I supposed to do?' He grinned through parts of his evidence, the court heard.
Hedi Shariatzadeh, a Kurdish housemate at the taxpayer-funded Home Office hostel where Malik lived, testified that Malik had told residents he was smuggled into Britain in the boot of a car. 'Sheraz said he had been living in Sweden for six or seven years after going there from Pakistan,' Shariatzadeh told the court. 'Then one night got talking to two Afghan men and decided to come to the UK.'
Aftermath and Community Impact
Shariatzadeh expressed concern about the publicity surrounding the case, telling reporters: 'Something like this is bad for all of us, because it makes people think all asylum seekers are like this, when we are not.' He described how Malik had washed all his clothes immediately after the attack and then disappeared from the shared accommodation.
The case has highlighted ongoing debates about reporting restrictions and the disclosure of suspects' backgrounds. Last August, the National Police Chiefs' Council released new guidance stating police may release ethnicity and nationality information after suspects have been charged. In November, the Law Commission suggested publishing immigration status, ethnicity and religion 'will generally not create risk' of prejudicing trials.
Legal Proceedings Continue
Malik has been remanded in custody following his conviction on two rape counts, with sentencing scheduled for next month. He was acquitted of a third rape charge. Sources indicate his alleged accomplice has been identified by police and is believed to be abroad after fleeing the country. The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denied defence suggestions that she had lied about being raped due to embarrassment about consensual sex.
