Three men have been jailed for a total of 33 years after raping a 17-year-old girl in Bristol. Mehrab Safi, 21, Salman Habibkheil, 19, and Awal Ahmadzai, 19, were convicted alongside a 17-year-old boy.
Bristol Crown Court heard that the girl was persuaded to travel into Bristol alone, given alcohol, and then raped by the four individuals at a house in the city. Safi was found guilty of two counts of rape and arranging or facilitating travel with a view to exploitation. Habibkheil was convicted of one count of rape and arranging or facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, while Ahmadzai was found guilty of one count of rape and one of sexual assault. The 17-year-old boy was convicted of one count of rape.
Safi received a 15-year sentence, with Habibkheil and Ahmadzai each jailed for nine years. The 17-year-old was sentenced to two years and seven months in a youth detention centre.
Following the rape, the three men fled the UK to France in the back of a lorry carrying frozen goods. They were swiftly arrested in France and returned to the UK.
DS Jo Babbage of Avon and Somerset police praised the victim's bravery, stating, "It's impossible to overstate the courage she has shown." Babbage also clarified that the incident was not about culture or religious belief, but about "deep-rooted misogyny and criminal behaviour in individuals."