Pakistani asylum seeker jailed for 10 years for raping ‘particularly vulnerable’ woman in UK

A Pakistani asylum seeker who raped an “especially vulnerable” 18-year-old woman in a park in Nottinghamshire, England, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, the BBC reported. Sheraz Malik, 28, attacked the teenager at Sutton Lawn Park, Sutton-in-Ashfield, on June 29 last year. Malik attacked the woman after she was raped by an unknown man.Malik claimed the encounter was consensual, but a jury found him guilty of two counts of rape in January. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison, plus an additional four years of driving license extension.Judge Simon Ash KC said Malik attacked the victim despite knowing he was drunk and alone with strangers at night. He said after the attack the defendant called the victim a “slut”.The judge said: “When she tried to resist you struck her severely on the face and head.” He added: “Some of the things you said to her did… constitute further insult and humiliation to her.”The trial revealed that Malik was an asylum seeker born in Pakistan. He had lived in France, Germany and Italy before arriving in the UK less than a year before the attack. His asylum application has not yet been considered. Strict reporting restrictions previously prohibited mention of his immigration status until the trial was over.The incident sparked protests and counter-protests in Sutton-in-Ashfield on social media last year.The victim was drinking in the park with a male friend. When her friend temporarily leaves to meet other people, he asks Malik and his team to “take care of” her.One of the men in the gang took her to a secluded area and raped her on the pretext of letting her go to the toilet. Nicholas Corsellis KC, prosecuting counsel, previously explained: “The defendant then decided to have sex with her and took her in turns to a secluded area where he physically assaulted her while raping her.”Malik claimed he was playing cricket and smoking cannabis in the park and denied any violence.A victim impact statement detailed the ongoing trauma the woman had suffered. “I found it very difficult to cope,” she said. “I’ve been having nightmares about the incident and the medical exam afterwards.” Anxiety and stress led to difficulty eating and sleeping, she added.Judge Ashe found Malik posed a “significant risk” to the public but showed no remorse. The judge told Malik: “Instead of [the victim]you seem to feel nothing but hostility and anger toward her. “Nottinghamshire Police are still hunting for the first attacker.