Police and judicial authorities have been accused of orchestrating a 'cover-up' in a shocking child rape case involving two Afghan migrants, the Daily Mail can reveal. The case, which has provoked national outrage, saw the perpetrators' identities and immigration status allegedly obscured from the public.
Secrecy and Misleading Descriptions
Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17, were jailed last Monday for the abduction and rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl in the Warwickshire town of Leamington Spa. Despite arriving in the UK by small boat just months before the May 2025 attack, Warwickshire Police initially described the pair merely as 'two 17-year-old boys from Leamington'. Their child victim was referred to as a 'young woman'.
Critics have lambasted this characterisation. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick stated: 'The police appear to have lied to the public to downplay this appalling crime. The accused were not local lads, they were illegal migrants.' The force has since acknowledged the victim should not have been called a young woman and amended its appeal.
A Trial Behind Closed Doors
In a move later criticised by a senior judge, the case was heard at Coventry Youth Court. This meant the trial was held in private, with strict anonymity for the defendants. The public and press were barred, and the full nature of the case remained hidden until the Daily Mail mounted a successful legal challenge.
Sentencing Judge Sylvia de Bertodano condemned the decision, calling it 'very, very surprising' and 'unfortunate'. She emphasised that given the severity of the offences, the case should have been sent directly to the crown court.
The court process was further marred by a 'Newton Hearing', held after the guilty pleas because the defendants argued their crimes were less serious. Jahanzeb claimed he was drunk, while Niazal argued he unreasonably believed the 15-year-old consented. Judge de Bertodano said this hearing was unjustifiable given the 'overwhelming evidence', including a harrowing three-minute video recorded by the victim.
Systemic Failures and Public Outcry
This is not an isolated incident for Warwickshire Police. Months earlier, the same force was accused of attempting to conceal the immigration status of two other Afghan asylum seekers charged with raping a 12-year-old in Nuneaton.
In the Leamington case, further failures allowed the convicted rapists to roam free for almost a month after pleading guilty on October 21. They were remanded into local authority care and only detained on November 19 when their case reached Warwick Crown Court for sentencing. Jahanzeb received 10 years and eight months, while Niazal was jailed for nine years and ten months.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp labelled the authorities' instinct to conceal migrant crime as 'sick', arguing: 'The facts should not be hidden - the public deserve the truth.' Warwickshire Police stated that at the time of charge, there was no guidance to release suspects' nationality, and the accused were residents in Leamington.
