Afghan man, 29, 'plied two girls aged 14 with alcohol and raped them both in his flat after befriending one on Snapchat', court hears

By JAMES TOZER, NORTHERN CORRESPONDENT and IAN LEONARD Published: 14:06, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 14:18, 15 June 2026 An Afghan national plied two 14-year-old girls with alcohol and raped them both after befriending one of the teenagers on Snapchat, a court heard today. Sultani Bakatash, 29, took the girls back to his flat in Bolton, Greater Manchester and 'encouraged' them to drink vodka and Coke, a jury heard, telling one she was 'dead cute'. But he then allegedly sexually abused them while they 'drifted in and out of consciousness'. When they tried to leave, Bakatash 'held' the girls down, dragged them across the carpet, and took their phones, Bolton Crown Court was told. However they managed to alert a neighbour who called police, with Bakatash later arrested at his brother's home. Opening the case, prosecutor Rebecca Rimmer said Bakatash befriended one of the girls over Snapchat after meeting her at an Asda supermarket when she was 13. 'Once at his flat, the Crown say, he plied those two girls with alcohol to the point they were so drunk they were drifting in and out of consciousness before seizing the opportunity to rape and abuse them,' she said. 'Persisting, despite their efforts to push him away and hide in the toilet from him. Sultani Bakatash, 29, took the girls back to his flat and 'encouraged' them to drink vodka and Coke before raping them both, Bolton Crown Court (pictured) was told today 'A man, the Crown say, intent on sexual gratification regardless of what [the girls] wanted.' The jury heard how police were called to Bakatash's Bolton flat after receiving a 999 call shortly before 11pm on December 6 last year. When officers arrived they found the 'extremely distressed' girls, who were both 'intoxicated' and drifting in and out of consciousness. Such was the condition of one of the girls, she had to be taken to hospital. Ms Rimmer said the girls had travelled to Bolton after one of them swapped Snapchat messages with him. He had initially told the girl she was 'too young' but nevertheless kept in contact with her and agreed to meet up, she said. Ms Rimmer said both girls had told Bakatash they were 14 when they met up.  But that 'didn't dissuade' him from carrying out the sexual acts that followed, she added. All three went in a Uber taxi to his flat, and as they approached, Bakatash told them 'to be quiet and put their hoods up'. Once inside, the girls drank vodka and Coke while he had one sip, Ms Rimmer said. He 'encouraged' them to drink more to the point they became 'drunk and were falling over', the prosecutor added. The first girl described him as behaving as though he was a 'nonce' or a 'paedo', telling her she was 'dead cute' and 'dead kind', jurors were told. Bakatash then 'dragged' both girls on to the floor, kissed them and rubbed them with his hands, she added. The first girl stuck her hand in his face, but Bakatash would not move away, Ms Rimmer said, and instead sexually assaulted her. He also pulled her top down and allegedly put his mouth on her breasts. The girl remembers going to the toilet before finding herself on Bakatash's bed, where he allegedly raped her. Both girls said 'they should leave' but could not walk properly, Ms Rimmer said, and Bakatash also took their phones. He allegedly sexually assaulted and raped the second girl in the bedroom after she 'kicked her legs and tried to push him off' at which he put his hand on her chest and 'slammed her down' on the bed. Bakatash held the girls down if they tried to get away or pulled their hair, the jury heard. They were eventually able to flee the flat and alert a neighbour, who called police. When the girls were examined, the first had 'carpet burns to her knees' and numerous bruises while the second had 'numerous' abrasions and bruises to her body, the court heard. DNA recovered from mouthwash used by one of the girls is a 'billion times more likely' to be Bakatash's than anyone else's, Ms Rimmer said. Bakatash was arrested at his brother's address the next day and answered no comment to questions. But he claimed in a statement that he believed the girls were aged 18 and 19 and said they had 'instigated' consensual sexual activity. However Ms Rimmer said his position had since changed and he now denied any sexual activity had taken place and was instead suggesting the girls were 'telling a pack of lies'. She asked jurors: 'Or are they telling the truth when they describe the defendant plying them with alcohol before forcing himself on them? 'Persisting, despite their efforts to push him away and dragging them, intend on sexual activity, while the girls were so drunk they struggled to stay conscious.' Bakatash denies two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.