Rape case: 2 Afghan teenagers sentenced to jail terms in UK

KABUL (Pajhwok): Two 17-year-old Afghan teenagers seeking asylum in the UK have been handed custodial sentences for raping a 15-year-old girl in Leamington Spa, a media report said on Tuesday.

Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17, were accused of sexually assaulting the girl on 10 May, the BBC reported.

Jahanzeb was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months, while Israr received 9 years and 10 months in jail. Both have also been issued documents for deportation from the UK.

The two boys will first serve their sentences in a Young Offenders Institution before being transferred to an adult prison.

At the start of the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Shawn Williams said the defendants, each assisted by their own interpreter, were unaccompanied child asylum seekers.

In an impact statement, the victim’s mother said: “We have watched our vibrant, happy, and confident daughter shrink and suffer from anxiety so severe that she is often physically ill.”

kk/ma