Two teenage asylum seekers have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Warwickshire, England. The attack, which took place on May 10 in Leamington Spa, was partially captured on video by the victim, with footage described by legal counsel as deeply disturbing.

Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17 years old and originally from Afghanistan, had recently arrived in the United Kingdom via small boats and were residing in taxpayer-funded accommodations at the time of the incident. The video presented at Warwick Crown Court showed the victim being forcibly taken from a group of friends and assaulted in a nearby park. In the footage, the girl can be heard pleading for help and expressing fear before being coerced into performing sexual acts. After escaping, she recorded further videos detailing her experience before being found by a passer-by who took her to a police station, enabling authorities to collect crucial forensic evidence.

In a victim impact statement, the girl described the rape as life-altering, stating it had robbed her of her previously carefree adolescence and marked her first sexual experience.

Judge Sylvia de Bertodano handed down sentences of ten years and eight months to Jahanzeb and nine years and ten months to Niazal. The judge also approved a legal request permitting the publication of the defendants’ names, citing the severity of their crimes and their betrayal of genuine refugees. She condemned their actions, emphasizing that no child should endure such trauma and that the defendants had effectively stolen the victim’s childhood.

The severity of the video content drew commentary even from Niazal’s own barrister, Joshua Radcliffe, who described the footage as “genuinely horrific” and warned that public exposure could incite disorder.

Both defendants admitted to the assault in October. Jahanzeb faces potential deportation, while Niazal does not, as he was under 17 at the time of pleading guilty—a threshold that affects his deportation eligibility. The case has drawn attention to the challenges surrounding the asylum process and safeguarding vulnerable individuals within the community.