Two men who barricaded an intoxicated 17-year-old girl in a room at a party, raped her, slapped her, filmed the assault and called her degrading names have been jailed for 15 years each. Hadi Khangheshlaghi, 25, and Armin Takhfifi, 26, were found guilty of two counts of rape apiece over what the court heard was a "violent and sustained" attack at an Airbnb in Salford in 2019.
The pair were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on November 10. Supporters and relatives in the public gallery raised their hands and exclaimed as the sentences were handed down.
The attack at the Airbnb party
Prosecutor Richard Littler KC told the court the victim, who has a legal right to lifelong anonymity, was visiting a friend in Manchester in November 2019 and was 17 at the time. A friend had invited them to a party at an Airbnb in Salford on November 23 2019. There was "discussion among the organisers" about "how many girls were going", and "persistent" messages to the friend "urging her to come and bring friends".
The victim "consumed some alcohol and cannabis", after which she "felt drowsy and wanted to sleep". She was then "led by the hand" by both defendants, then aged 18 and 19, who barricaded the door, undressed her and moved her around the bed "in different positions" before subjecting her to anal and vaginal rape.
"They called her a slut and a b***h, pulled her hair, filmed what they were doing and laughed at her," Mr Littler said. "They knew she was drugged, vulnerable, unconscious and unaware. She was so lacking in energy she could not tell them to stop."
Judge describes 'humiliating and degrading' ordeal
Judge Tom Gilbart described how the victim's friend had then entered, "called out" what they were doing and said she was "too drunk" for this to be happening. "She was led from the room, at which you resumed the attack and took steps to block the door," he said. "You were determined to finish the rape and have your way with her."
The judge continued: "She remembers a torch shining in her face, filming her as she was assaulted. It was obvious she was intoxicated - that was what drove you to her. Her friend, showing tremendous determination and bravery, managed to get in again. The victim was only awoken by having water thrown at her face. This was a humiliating and degrading experience. The victim was crying but you were laughing and treated it as a joke."
A throw was placed around the victim and jurors at trial were played footage of her leaving the flat with her friend. "She was shaking and crying," the judge said. "Entirely consistent with her account and entirely inconsistent with yours, that it had been consensual."
She was examined by a doctor who found internal injuries and lacerations. Upon arrest, Mr Takhfifi provided police with a phone that had "only been in use for a few hours", while Mr Khangheshlaghi was said to have called the victim to try to deter her from reporting the offence.
Sentencing and mitigation
Earlier, the judge rejected an application from Mr Takhfifi's barrister, Andrea Lock, to adjourn the sentencing in order to obtain a report into his mental health. Ms Lock cited a letter from his counsellor saying he had "severe" anxiety and depression, with a reported history of ADHD and suicidal thoughts. "The complainant speaks with hope of the sentencing outcome," the judge said. "To delay further would be unnecessary and disproportionate."
Ms Lock also asked for the sentence to be reduced on account of the delay in the case, and spoke of the "impact on the defendant and his family". Mr Khangheshlaghi's barrister, Siôn ap Mihangel, said his "relative youth" and lack of maturity was a mitigating factor, with notification requirements "to follow him for the rest of his life". He said Mr Khangheshlaghi had attempted an overdose "caused by the stress of the upcoming trial", for which he was briefly hospitalised.
Both were said to be of previous good character with no offending in the last 7 years and had "histories of study and work". But the judge said Takhfifi "did not accept his guilt" and had a "sense of entitlement" and "poor awareness of the impact on the victim". Khangheshlaghi was said to "have thought he could act as he pleased", having "no remorse or concern for the victim" and was even "critical" of her. Both were determined to pose a high risk of serious harm to the public.
"What the two of you did was a brutal attack on a vulnerable victim," the judge told them. "There is arrogance and a sense of entitlement to what you did. You used her as an object and filmed it like it was a piece of sport. This was disgraceful criminality."
Impact on the victim and deportation liability
Subsequent delays in the case were partly due to her poor mental health. The assault left a "life-changing impact" on the victim, causing her "severe psychological harm", Mr Littler said. She has experienced psychosis, self-harmed, and was sectioned twice "for her own safety" in the aftermath of the attack.
"She has not felt like herself since," Judge Gilbart said. "You stripped her of her dignity and identity. She says she cannot keep the incident from her mind and has been in a dark place since. She feels a sense of shame. That does not belong to her, it belongs to you."
Armin Takhfifi, 26, of Wellington Road North in Stockport, and Hadi Khangheshlaghi, 25, of Alvanley Crescent in Stockport, were jailed for 15 years and must serve at least two-thirds before release on licence. The pair are foreign nationals with indefinite leave to remain but neither are UK citizens, so "may be liable" for automatic deportation upon release, Judge Gilbart said. They must also keep police informed of their addresses and any name changes upon release. An application for restraining orders on the pair was denied as neither had contacted the victim or reoffended since the incident.
