Afghan Teenagers Sentenced to Long Detention for Rape of 15-Year-Old Girl in UK Amid Rising Immigration Concerns

The teenage boys, Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17 years old, committed the assault in a park during May.

Two Afghan teenage asylum seekers, who had independently arrived in Britain within the last year, received lengthy detention sentences on Monday for raping a 15-year-old girl in central England.

Prosecutors at Warwick Crown Court explained that the boys, Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both aged 17, carried out the attack in a Leamington Spa park in May after separating the heavily intoxicated girl from her friends.

The court viewed distressing footage that the victim had managed to capture during the assault, where she could be heard sobbing loudly and pleading: "Please help me ... let me go ... I want to go home."

In her victim statement, the girl, who noted this was her first sexual experience, said: "The day I was raped changed me as a person."

Crimes committed by asylum seekers, particularly sexual offenses, have become a significant political issue in Britain, especially as the government seeks solutions to address thousands of migrants arriving via small boats across the Channel.

Last month, an Afghan national admitted to raping a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, central England, while an Ethiopian man was imprisoned in September after being convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman in Epping, north of London.

These incidents triggered large-scale protests, some turning violent, and sparked demonstrations nationwide at hotels housing asylum seekers. Immigration concerns have also helped propel the populist Reform UK party to lead in opinion polls.

Acknowledging public concern, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano ordered that the two teenagers, who pleaded guilty in October, could be identified despite their age, stating it was in the public interest to do so.

Jahanzeb, who turns 18 early next year, received a detention sentence of 10 years and eight months, while Niazal was sentenced to nine years and ten months in detention.

Robert Holt, Jahanzeb's lawyer, stated his client had traveled through Europe alone to reach Britain in January, succeeding on his fourth attempt to cross the Channel by small boat. He faces automatic deportation after completing his sentence.

Joshua Radcliffe, representing Niazal, explained his client had come to Britain alone last November escaping the Taliban, who had murdered his father, a former Afghan army member. While awaiting a decision on his asylum claim, the judge recommended his deportation after serving his sentence.

Judge de Bertodano stated that the two teenagers had betrayed the interests of those who come to Britain fleeing harm.