In 2025, the Offender Database reported that Izrar Niazal and Jan Jahanzeb, both then 17, were sentenced for the abduction and rape of a 15-year-old girl. On Monday, 8 December 2025, the pair appeared at Warwick Crown Court, where Judge Sylvia de Bertodano lifted reporting restrictions that had previously prevented them from being named.
The investigation established that on 10 May 2025, the victim was socialising with friends near the town centre in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, when she met the two defendants, who were unaccompanied Afghan asylum seekers. The boys lured her away from her group to a secluded “den-type” area in Newbold Comyn parkland. The prosecution reported that despite the girl’s “vigorous protests” and “highly distressing” audio and video recordings she managed to capture on her phone, they forced her to her knees and raped her.
Judicial Findings and Impact
The court reported that Jahanzeb arrived in the UK in January 2025, while Niazal had arrived in November 2024. Judge de Bertodano emphasised that the defendants had “betrayed” the laws of the country that offered them sanctuary and “robbed” the victim of her childhood. The victim’s mother described how her daughter had “shrunk down” and suffered from such severe anxiety that she was frequently physically sick.
The judge emphasised that the footage from the victim’s phone made it “absolutely clear” that no one could believe she was consenting. DCI Richard Hobbs of Warwickshire Police praised the survivor for her “immense courage” in documenting the events leading up to the attack, which provided “critical” evidence. For their crimes in Leamington Spa, the court determined that the severity of the planned assault and the use of force required substantial custodial terms and subsequent deportation considerations.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For their crimes in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, the sentences were:
- Jan Jahanzeb: Sentenced to 10 years and eight months’ detention.
- Israr Niazal: Sentenced to nine years and 10 months’ detention.
- Custody: Both will begin their terms in a Young Offenders’ Institution.
- Deportation: Jahanzeb has already been served with deportation papers; the judge invited the government to recommend deportation for Niazal upon release.
- Sex Offenders Register: Both ordered to register for life.
- Restraining Order: An indefinite order was granted to protect the victim.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Upon their eventual release or during their sentence management, both offenders are under the scrutiny of the National Probation Service and Warwickshire Police. Their history of “deliberate” targeting and “vicious” sexual violence means their risk management remains a “critical” priority.
Authorities state that the “serious” nature of the abduction and the betrayal of trust are key factors in their long-term monitoring. Any breach of their registration conditions or their licence terms, if they remain in the UK, will result in their immediate return to Warwick Crown Court. The judge noted that naming the pair was necessary to prevent the “unchecked spread of false information” and to reassure the public that justice had been served.
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