Afghan men jailed for rape of teenager after being caught fleeing UK by French police

Three Afghan nationals who raped a 17‑year‑old girl have been sentenced after being stopped by French police while attempting to flee the United Kingdom in a lorry. Mehrab Safi, 21, Awal Ahmadzai and Salman Habibkheli, both 19, were found guilty on 26 June of multiple offences against the teenager at an address in St Werburghs, Bristol, in November 2025. Safi received a 15‑year prison term, while Ahmadzai and Habibkheli each received nine‑year sentences in a youth detention centre. A separate 17‑year‑old Afghan male, who did not attempt to leave the country, was convicted of rape and sentenced to two years and seven months in a youth detention centre. The victim, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, met Safi while Christmas shopping at Bristol’s Cabot Circus on 25 November 2025. They exchanged numbers and Snapchat contacts, after which Safi sent her explicit images and arranged a taxi to take her to his home. During the early hours of 30 November the girl was plied with alcohol, sexually assaulted and raped repeatedly over several hours by Safi, Ahmadzai, Habibkheli and the teenage co‑defendant. Officers responded after the girl’s mother reported her missing. Detective Sergeant Jo Babbage of Avon and Somerset Police said the victim began communicating with Safi five days before the attack “via mobile, predominantly Snapchat.” Babbage added, “It’s clear that that’s where the grooming and the interaction process was started that led up to her being brought into Bristol by taxi which was arranged [by Safi].” She also noted that the victim has been left “very traumatised” by the attacks but has been “very brave” throughout the investigation. The three adult defendants fled the scene and were later intercepted by French authorities in Calais while concealed in the rear of a lorry. Babbage remarked, “They got into the back of a lorry… and they were able to leave the country without documents and it was just fortunate that our friends in France located them and were able to take them straight away.” Mobile phone footage from Safi’s device showed the men laughing and gesticulating in the lorry, which the prosecution said during trial indicated they believed they had “got away with it.” At sentencing, Judge Michael Cullum stated that being trafficked and raped by the men would have caused “unimaginable” trauma to the teenager. He told the court, “I have no doubt that was her attraction to you, Safi. After an aggravated exchange of texts you obtained nude photos of her.” He continued, “Reading of the exchanges is uncomfortable and starts to suggest an imbalance of power between you [Safi] and the victim.” The judge added, “Having been trafficked she was raped five times, and cumulative trauma will undoubtedly stay with her forever and is unimaginable.” The victim described the lasting impact of the assault in her own words: “I had a lot more friends, I would go out a lot more, I was happier. Now, I've stopped going out, I don't even leave the house in general.” She also said, “If I ever leave the house, it is only with my best friend or mum. I would not be able to go out by myself, even the thought of that makes me panic.” Further, she noted, “Generally my brain keeps blocking out the trauma that happened to me, but when I am feeling low emotionally it all comes back and makes me feel even worse.” Finally, she remarked, “Sometimes I would dream about what happened, which I was not expecting – and I do not like those dreams at all.” Judge Cullum acknowledged that each defendant had endured traumatic experiences in Afghanistan, noting that one had lost a parent at the hands of the Taliban, but stressed that this offered no excuse. All four defendants were placed indefinitely on the sex offenders’ register and made subject to sexual harm prevention orders barring any contact with children.