On a spring evening in May 2025, the quiet town of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, became the backdrop for a crime that would send shockwaves across the United Kingdom. Two Afghan teenagers, Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17 and seeking asylum, were sentenced this week for the rape of a 15-year-old girl—a case that has ignited fierce debate about asylum, justice, and public safety.
The events of May 10 unfolded as the victim, a schoolgirl, was socializing with friends in a local park. According to court records cited by BBC News and The Independent, Jahanzeb and Niazal, both unaccompanied asylum seekers who had recently arrived in the UK, approached the group. The girl, whose identity remains protected by law, became separated from her friends after drinking vodka, later describing her inebriation as an "eight out of ten." As the evening wore on, the two boys led her away, their intentions chillingly clear in retrospect.
Prosecutor Shawn Williams told Warwick Crown Court that the defendants led the "highly distressed" victim into what was described as a "den-type" area of parkland. Video evidence, recovered from the victim’s own phone and police CCTV, captured Jahanzeb summoning Niazal in Pashto and the girl’s desperate pleas for help. As Daily Mail reported, the footage was so distressing that one defense barrister warned it could incite public disorder if widely seen. The girl could be heard crying out, "You're going to rape me," and repeatedly screaming for help, her voice muffled as Jahanzeb placed his hand over her mouth.
Once in the secluded area, the teenagers forced the victim to perform oral sex on both of them. The crime was described by Judge Sylvia de Bertodano as "horrific," and the evidence of lack of consent was, in the judge's words, "overwhelming." After the ordeal, the girl managed to escape and filmed herself, still in shock, as she walked down the road. She was eventually assisted by a passerby, who took her to a nearby police station where officers collected crucial forensic evidence.
The impact on the victim and her family has been profound. In a statement read to the court, the girl said, "The day I was raped changed me as a person. Now every time I go out I don't feel safe." She added, "I hate the fact that I am now looked at as a victim, even though that's exactly what I am." Her mother described the family’s anguish: "We have watched our vibrant, happy and confident daughter shrink down and suffer with anxiety so bad, she is often physically sick. Something broke in all of us that day."
Both Jahanzeb and Niazal pleaded guilty to rape at a hearing in October. Their backgrounds, as outlined in court, shed light on the broader context of the UK’s asylum system. Jahanzeb had fled Afghanistan, arriving in January 2025 after three failed attempts to cross the Channel, each time intercepted by French authorities. Niazal arrived in November 2024, having been initially accommodated in Kent before being moved into local authority care in Warwickshire. Both were living in taxpayer-funded accommodation at the time of the attack.
During sentencing on December 8, 2025, Judge de Bertodano addressed the gravity of the crime and the responsibilities of those seeking refuge. "No child should have to suffer the ordeal that she suffered. The fact is, you two have robbed her of her childhood and nothing that the sentence of this court and nothing I can do today can restore that," she said. While acknowledging the boys’ traumatic backgrounds—one fleeing the Taliban after his father, an Afghan Army member, was murdered, the other escaping threats following a family tragedy—the judge was unequivocal: "I don’t accept that either of you does not understand the concept of consent. You both knew perfectly well that what you were doing was criminal and wrong."
The sentences handed down reflect the severity of the crime and the need to protect the public. Jahanzeb received a youth detention term of 10 years and eight months, while Niazal was sentenced to nine years and 10 months. Both will begin their sentences in a Young Offenders’ Institution before being transferred to adult prison. They were ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and given indefinite restraining orders.
Deportation looms for both. Jahanzeb has already been served deportation papers. Niazal, however, was just a day too young to qualify automatically, having pleaded guilty one day before his 17th birthday. The judge nonetheless recommended that the Home Secretary consider deporting both offenders. This nuance in the law—where a single day can determine a person’s fate—has not gone unnoticed, sparking further debate about the criteria for deportation in cases involving serious crimes.
The court’s decision to lift reporting restrictions on the boys’ identities followed a legal challenge by media organizations, including BBC and Daily Mail. Judge de Bertodano explained her reasoning: "A lack of information stokes public anger and leads to the unchecked spread of false information." She concluded that public interest outweighed the defendants’ right to anonymity, especially given the national concern about sex crimes involving asylum seekers.
Reactions to the case have been intense and varied. Det Ch Insp Richard Hobbs of Warwickshire Police remarked, "Jahanzeb and Niazal went out of their way to befriend the victim with the intention of raping her. The length of their sentence reflects the severity of their crime and the need to protect the public from them." Meanwhile, defense barristers highlighted the boys’ backgrounds and the trauma they themselves had endured, arguing for mitigation but ultimately accepting the seriousness of the offense.
The broader public response has touched on issues of immigration, integration, and criminal justice. Some argue that this case underscores the need for stricter vetting and monitoring of asylum seekers, especially unaccompanied minors. Others caution against generalizing from individual crimes to entire groups, warning of the dangers of stoking xenophobia or undermining the UK’s commitment to providing refuge for those fleeing violence and persecution.
For the victim and her family, the journey toward healing continues. The sentences may bring some measure of justice, but as the judge herself acknowledged, nothing can undo the harm inflicted. As Leamington Spa returns to its routines, the reverberations of this crime serve as a stark reminder of the challenges—and responsibilities—that come with offering sanctuary and upholding the rule of law.
