Asylum Seeker Sentenced for Rape in Sutton-in-Ashfield
An asylum seeker has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman in a park in Nottinghamshire. Sheraz Malik, 28, attacked the victim in Sutton Lawn park, Sutton-in-Ashfield, on 29 June last year. The assault occurred shortly after the woman was raped by another man who was with Malik; this individual has not yet been identified.
Malik, formerly residing on Bath Street in Sutton-in-Ashfield, had claimed that the sexual encounter was consensual. However, a jury at Birmingham Crown Court found him guilty of two counts of rape in January. On Thursday, he received a custodial sentence of 10 years, followed by an additional four years on extended licence.
Court Details of the Incident
The court heard that the woman had been drinking at the park with a male friend and was intoxicated when she encountered Malik and a group of men she did not know. The woman's friend reportedly asked Malik and his associates to "look after" her while he went to meet another friend. During this time, one member of the group took the woman to an isolated area of the park under the pretense of allowing her to use the toilet, where he proceeded to rape her.
Following this, Malik decided to have sex with the woman. He took her to a secluded spot where he physically assaulted her during the rape.
"The defendant then decided he wished to have sex with her and took his turn to take her to a secluded spot, where he physically struck her while raping her."
This information was provided by prosecution counsel Nicholas Corsellis KC during the court proceedings.
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