[KhaamaPress] Three Afghan men have been sentenced to a combined 33 years in jug for raping a 17-year-old girl in Bristol, England, after grooming her through Snapchat, while a fourth Afghan defendant, who was 17 at the time of the offence, was also convicted and sentenced, British authorities said.
Mehrab Safi, 21, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of two counts of rape and arranging or facilitating the travel of a female for exploitation. Salman Habibkheil and Awal Ahmadzai, both 19, each received nine years in a youth detention facility. The fourth defendant, a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named because of his age, was sentenced to two years and seven months in youth detention for rape.
The four were found guilty by a jury at Bristol Crown Court in June after denying the charges and claiming that the sexual activity was consensual. The court heard that Safi first met the victim while she was Christmas shopping in Bristol with a friend on November 25, 2025. He subsequently contacted her through Snapchat and asked her to send intimate images.
Four days later, Safi and Habibkheil arranged for the girl to travel by taxi from Somerset to Bristol. She was taken to Safi’s home in the St Werburghs area, where the court heard she was given alcohol and subsequently raped by the four defendants over several hours. Her mother reported her missing, prompting police to attend the property and find the victim.
After police arrived, Safi, Ahmadzai and Habibkheil fled the property and travelled through Birmingham and London before hiding in the back of a refrigerated lorry bound for La Belle France. French authorities arrested them in Calais on December 3, 2025, and they were later returned to the United Kingdom to face prosecution.
During sentencing, Judge Michael Cullum said the attack had caused the victim severe and lasting psychological harm. In a victim impact statement, she said she had become fearful of leaving her home and was no longer able to go out alone. The judge also acknowledged that some of the defendants had experienced difficult circumstances in Afghanistan, but stressed that their backgrounds did not excuse the offences.
All four defendants were also made subject to sex-offender notification requirements, while sexual harm prevention orders restrict their contact with children. Avon and Somerset Police said the victim’s bravery in reporting the abuse and giving evidence had been central to bringing the offenders to justice.
Police and prosecutors emphasized that the case concerned the actions of the individual defendants and should not be interpreted as evidence of wider criminal behavior among Afghan nationals. The convictions followed a year-long investigation into the assault in Bristol.
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