Asylum seeker who twice raped a 'drunk and vulnerable' woman in a park and showed 'no remorse' jailed
The court heard that Pakistan-born Sheraz Malik had “distorted thinking” in relation to consent, personal entitlement and the objectification of women.
An asylum seeker who twice raped a “drunk and obviously vulnerable” woman in a park has been given a 14-year extended sentence after a court was told he had shown no remorse.
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Pakistan-born Sheraz Malik was found guilty of two counts of rape in January after jurors heard how he attacked the 18-year-old woman shortly after she had been raped by another man in Sutton Lawn park in Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire last June.
Malik, 28, formerly of Bath Street in Sutton-in-Ashfield, claimed he had consensual sex with the woman, but was found guilty after three hours of deliberations at Birmingham Crown Court.
Passing sentence at the same court on Thursday, Judge Simon Ash KC imposed a 10-year jail sentence extended by an additional four-year period on licence.
After being told that Malik was expected to be deported on his eventual release, the judge told him: “There is no evidence of remorse or of you having any insight into the serious harm you have caused to the victim.
“You appear to feel only hostility and anger towards her.”
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The court was told Malik, who appeared in the dock dressed in a black Nike tracksuit and was assisted by a Pashto interpreter, still denies any wrongdoing and was “shouting and swearing” when a probation officer spoke to him to prepare a report in February.
The rapist, who had been smoking cannabis and struck the victim, cutting her lip, was said by the judge to have made humiliating and degrading comments.
The judge told Malik: “You used violence against her in the course of raping her.
“When she tried to resist you, you hit her to the face and head.
“The probation officer states that when he discussed the offending you continued to deny it and spoke about the victim in a derogatory and abusive manner.”
The court heard the pre-sentence report noted that Malik had “distorted thinking” in relation to consent, personal entitlement and the objectification of women.
Summarising the report, Nicholas Corsellis KC, prosecuting, said Malik had still harboured a “strong sense of grievance and resentment” towards the woman.
In a personal impact statement prior to sentencing, the victim, who cannot be identified, said she suffered flashbacks of the offence and had found giving evidence at court very difficult and very stressful.
Part of the statement said: “I find myself struggling to cope.
“I keep having nightmares about the incident and the medical examination after it.”
Malik, who lived in Italy, Germany and France before coming to the UK, is still awaiting the outcome of an asylum application, having been in Britain for less than 12 months when he attacked the teenager, the court was told.
Nottinghamshire Police is still conducting inquiries to locate and arrest a further suspect alleged to have attacked the victim.
Commenting after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Nicole Milner said: “Above all, my thoughts are with the victim, whose courage, resilience and bravery have been evident throughout both the investigation and the criminal justice process.
“Sheraz Malik has today received a significant custodial sentence, reflecting the seriousness of his offending and the profound impact of his actions on the victim.
“I hope this sentence brings the victim a sense of justice and reassurance that Malik no longer poses a threat to our community.”