Two Men Jailed for Sexual Assault & Rape of Student
Two men have recently been jailed for the rape and sexual assault of a 19 year old student in Birmingham.
Incident
Zaheer Abbas, 30, and Sajad Hussain, 35 abducted and then raped the woman after she had been kicked out of the Snobs nightclub in Birmingham city centre.
Birmingham Crown Court heard how the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been ejected from the club by bouncers after being so intoxicated that she collapsed inside the venue. Abbas and Hussain saw her in a drunken state and proceeded to lure her into a transit van. The men then drove the student to an industrial estate in the Nechells area were she was sexually assaulted and raped in an hour long attack. After the assault, they drove the victim back to her student accommodation.
Sentencing
Both men denied any wrong doing, however two separate juries found both guilty of their respected offences. Mrs Justice Mary Stacey handed Abbas an 11 year custodial sentence for rape in December 2015, while Hussain received a total of 6 years for sexual assault this week.
Sentencing the pair, Judge Stacey said:
‘What you both did to her had devastating consequences.
‘After achieving her goal of getting into a top university because of your actions she dropped out.
‘She no longer goes out on her own and feels wary and fearful. She was clearly abducted, she had to be held up and was unable to walk unaided.
‘She was totally incapable. Abbas, you took her virginity from her which can never be reclaimed, you took her innocence and ruined her time in Birmingham.
‘Both of you have shown no remorse and have cynically attempted to portray her as a sexual predator when the exact opposite was true.’
She added:
‘This was a deeply distressing case. The distress on the face of the jurors was all too evident and understandable.’
Night club criticised
Judge Stacey also criticised the management of Snobs, one of Britain’s oldest nightclubs, as well as the venue’s cheap drinks promotions. Accusing the nightclub of acting ‘irresponsibly towards their customers’, Judge Stacey said:
‘Something needs to be said about Snobs nightclub.
‘We have heard how the establishment carries on serving drinks to students who have had far more than enough to drink.
‘Then they fail to take responsibility for the students, they removed (her) after she collapsed inside.
‘Snobs abandoned her on the street where she was prey to the likes of Abbas and Hussain.‘The security officer is not personally to blame, it was a failure of Snobs itself to fail to put procedures in place, for example by arranging taxis to take them (students) home.
‘The disregard for customers allowed for the circumstances for this crime to occur.’
Sexual Abuse Claims – Expert Advice
Hampson Hughes Solicitors specialises in directing sexual abuse claims in a considerate and compassionate manner. Our Abuse & Criminal Injuries Department is headed by Greg Neill – Greg is a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL).
For an open and friendly conversation about your situation, and to find out how we can assist you relevant to your individual experience, call 0800 888 6 888 or email [email protected]
You will be given the direct-dial of your case handler, meaning that you will always be able to reach the person you need.
Source: Mail Online
