A 28-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of raping a vulnerable 18-year-old woman in Nottinghamshire. Police are still searching for another suspect linked to the case.
A 28-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of raping a vulnerable 18-year-old woman in a park in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom.
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Sheraz Malik was found guilty on two counts of rape by Birmingham Crown Court after prosecutors said he sexually assaulted the woman shortly after she had allegedly been raped by another man believed to be part of the same group. The second suspect has not yet been identified, according to media reports.
In addition to the 10-year prison term, Malik was handed a four-year extended licence period upon his release.
During the trial, Malik claimed that the sexual encounter was consensual. However, the court rejected his defence and convicted him on both charges.
According to court documents, the victim and her male friend were at Sutton Lawn Park after a night of drinking when they encountered Malik and several other men. The woman’s friend reportedly asked Malik and his companions to look after her while he briefly left the park to meet another friend.
Prosecutors told the court that after the woman was left alone with the group, one of the men took her to a secluded area of the park under the pretext of allowing her to use the toilet and sexually assaulted her.
The prosecution further alleged that Malik then took the woman to another isolated location, where he physically assaulted and raped her.
Prosecution counsel Nicholas Corsellis KC told the court that Malik “decided he wished to have sex with her” and led her to a secluded spot, where he struck and raped the victim.
Authorities continue to investigate the case as efforts remain underway to identify and locate the second suspect allegedly involved in the incident.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
