Sultani Bakatash, aged 29, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, has been sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment at Bolton Crown Court after being convicted of raping two 14-year-old girls following a four-week jury trial.
The offences took place after Bakatash initiated contact with one of the victims through the social media application Snapchat.
The court was told the girl had initially crossed paths with Bakatash at an Asda store when she was 13 years of age.
Although Bakatash noted during that initial encounter that she was too young, he persisted in messaging her and subsequently arranged an in-person meeting with her and her 14-year-old friend.
When the meeting occurred, both victims explicitly affirmed to Bakatash that they were 14 years old.
Ignoring their age, Bakatash booked an Uber to transport the teenagers to his residential flat.
As they neared the address, Bakatash instructed both girls to pull up their coat hoods and remain completely silent to avoid drawing attention.
Once inside the premises, Bakatash served the two schoolgirls vodka mixed with cola, continuously encouraging them to consume alcohol while drinking minimal amounts himself.
The victims quickly became heavily intoxicated, unsteady on their feet, and were drifting in and out of consciousness.
Prosecuting barrister Rebecca Rimmer described how Bakatash exploited their vulnerable state to carry out a sustained sexual assault.
The court heard the girls made determined efforts to break away and evade him, including attempting to lock themselves inside a bathroom.
Bakatash overpowered the victims, dragging them across the floor into a bedroom, where he carried out sexual assaults and rapes despite the children kicking out and attempting to push him away.
The two girls eventually managed to break free from the premises and sought help from an occupant in an adjacent property, who immediately dialled 999.
Responding Greater Manchester Police officers discovered both teenagers in a state of severe intoxication and extreme emotional distress.
Medical examiners documented physical trauma across both victims, including severe friction carpet burns to the knees, substantial contusions, and multiple bodily abrasions.
Bakatash was arrested the following day at his brother’s residence.
He gave no-comment answers in his initial police interview before submitting a prepared statement claiming he believed the victims were aged 18 and 19 and asserting the acts were consensual.
However, prior to trial, Bakatash altered his defence, claiming no sexual contact had taken place and alleging the victims had fabricated the entire incident.
The jury rejected his claims, finding him guilty of four offences:
- Two counts of rape
- One count of assault by penetration
- One count of sexual assault
The court heard Bakatash, a citizen of Afghanistan, had resided in the United Kingdom for approximately two years and held indefinite leave to remain, living in the country alongside his mother and siblings.
The judge sentenced Bakatash to an immediate custodial term of 14 years (168 months).
Release Calculation: Under UK sentencing legislation governing standard determinate sentences of seven years or more for serious violent and sexual offences, statutory release at the halfway stage does not apply. Bakatash is subject to mandatory two-thirds custody provisions, requiring him to serve a minimum of two-thirds (nine years and four months / 112 months) of his 14-year sentence in prison custody before being eligible for statutory release on licence to serve the remaining term in the community under the supervision of the Probation Service.
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