Four Afghan nationals face jail after grooming and raping teenage girl then fleeing UK in back of a lorry

Four Afghan nationals are facing jail after grooming and raping a 17-year-old girl before they fled the UK in the back of a lorry.

Mehrab Safi, 21, Awal Ahmadzai, 19, Salman Habibkheil, 19, and an underage boy, 17, were found guilty at Bristol Crown Court today.

French officers found the three men above the age of 18 in Calais after they left the UK on December 3, three days after they raped the victim.

Safi was convicted of one count of human trafficking and two charges of rape, while Habibkheil was found guilty one count of human trafficking and one charge of rape.

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Ahmadzai was convicted of one charge of rape and one of assault by penetration and, lastly, the 17-year-old boy was found guilty of one charge of rape.

All four denied all charges but they were found guilty following two days of jury deliberations.

Safi was convicted of one count of human trafficking and two charges of rape, while Habibkheil was found guilty one count of human trafficking and one charge of rape.

Ahmadzai was convicted of one charge of rape and one of assault by penetration and, lastly, the 17-year-old boy was found guilty of one charge of rape.

Police arrested the teenage defendant when they managed to trace the girl to a house in Bristol, in the St Werburghs area.

Prosecutor Edd Hetherington said the three older men escaped the property and travelled to Birmingham and London in the aftermath.

He said: "You might have heard reports from time to time about people concealing themselves in the back of a lorry and crossing the Channel.

"In a deeply unusual turn of events, the defendants Safi, Habibkheil and Ahmadzai, chose to use this mode of transportation to leave the UK rather than enter. Unfortunately for them, they were discovered by the French police in Calais."

Footage from Safi's phone showed the three in the back of a lorry while Habibkheil could be seen laughing while Ahmadzai was lying down.

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Upon their return to Britain, police arrested the trio on suspicion of rape.

The 17-year-old victim first met Safi while out Christmas shopping with a friend in the heart of Bristol. There, Safi attempted to lure both to his home, offering drugs. They both refused.

Safi then accosted the underage girl and asked for nude photos on Snapchat before ordering a taxi to take her to Bristol on November 30.

Mr Hetherington said it was a "sad indictment of what digital technology has done to dating life with young people that she regarded that request as entirely normal".

Once she reached her destination, the girl was plied with cigarettes and vodka, where she became drunk. She was then raped by all four individuals over the duration of several hours.

"I didn’t like it. I just wanted to be at home," the victim told officers, later adding: "Well, I didn’t say no, so I didn’t think it was like bad. But to be fair, I didn’t think they were all going to f**k me.

"I thought it was just going to be one which was the one that I was speaking to. I didn’t think they were going to do anything but they did anyway."

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Cable, the senior investigating officer, said: "These four people exploited a vulnerable young girl purely for the purposes of their own sexual gratification.

"They are dangerous individuals who pose a significant threat to young women and girls and gave not a single thought to the welfare of the victim."

The victim is being supported by a specially trained engagement officer.

In court today, Judge Michael Cullum said: "To each of the defendants who are adults you will receive immediate custodial sentences.

"However, there are a lot of things I have to consider when deciding the length of that sentence."

He told the 17-year-old defendant he should expect to receive an immediate custodial sentence.

"Your lawyers will ask me not to send you to custody and I will consider those arguments," he added. "You must understand that while you maintain your bail, it is not an indication of you not receiving a custodial sentence."

All four will be sentenced on October 6 later this year.

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