Two teenage Afghan asylum seekers have been sentenced for abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl in Leamington Spa. Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17, were given custodial sentences at Warwick Crown Court on Monday and face possible deportation.
The court heard that the pair led the distressed girl to a 'den-type' area in May before pushing her to the ground and attacking her. Judge De Bertodano stated they had 'robbed' the victim of her childhood, adding: 'What you two did on that evening changed [the victim's] life for ever.'
An impact statement read on behalf of the victim said: 'The day I was raped changed me as a person. Every time I go out I don't feel safe.' Her mother added: 'We have watched our vibrant, happy and confident daughter shrink down and suffer with anxiety so bad that she's often physically sick.'
Jahanzeb, who arrived in the UK in January 2025 and has been served with deportation papers, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in youth detention. Niazal, who arrived in November 2024, received nine years and 10 months. The judge invited the government to recommend his deportation.
Both were ordered to sign the sex offender register for life and given an indefinite restraining order. The judge lifted reporting restrictions protecting their identities, saying: 'A lack of information stokes public anger and leads to the unchecked spread of false information.'
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Hobbs of Warwickshire Police praised the victim's bravery, stating: 'Jahanzeb and Niazal went out of their way to befriend the victim with the intention of raping her. The length of their sentence reflects the severity of their crime.'
