Full Breakdown
Sentencing of Four Afghan Nationals for Bristol Grooming and Rape Case
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Court Findings and Sentences
Bristol Crown Court handed down sentences to three Afghan men and a 17-year-old Afghan boy for the rape and trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. Mehrab Safi, 21, received 15 years for one count of human trafficking and two rape convictions. Awal Ahmadzai, 19, and Salman Habibkheil, 19, were each sentenced to nine years for one charge of human trafficking and a rape conviction. The 17-year-old was sentenced to three years, less time already served. All four defendants denied the charges, claiming consent, but a jury found them guilty after two days of deliberation.
Crime Details and Escape Route
According to court documents, Safi groomed the victim on Snapchat and, as scheduled, arranged a taxi to bring her to Bristol in the early hours of November 30. Once at a property in St Werburghs, the girl was supplied with cigarettes and vodka before being repeatedly raped by the four men. After the assault, the three older defendants fled the scene, traveling in the back of a lorry to Birmingham and London before being intercepted by French police in Calais and returned to the UK for arrest.
Official Responses
Prosecutor Edd Hetherington highlighted the unusual use of a lorry to leave the UK rather than enter.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Having been trafficked for the purpose of committing a sexual offence she was raped five times and subjected to a sexual assault by penetration. The accumulative trauma will undoubtedly live with her forever, and is unimaginable.” — Sentencing, His Honour Judge Cullum
- “You might have heard reports from time to time about people concealing themselves in the back of a lorry and crossing the Channel,” — London. Edd Hetherington
- “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.” — Sally Helliwell