Three rapists, Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai and Kehan Safi, who assaulted and raped a solitary woman after she entered what she thought was a licensed cab following a night out with friends in Hull City Centre last year have received a cumulative sentence of 25 years in prison.
Bakhtullah Safi, 18, of Margaret Street, Hull, and Habibullah Ahmadzai, 18, of Wellsted Street, Hull, were both convicted of rape as joint participants during their hearing at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday, 14 February.
Kehan Safi, residing on Wellington Lane, Hull, was charged with rape and subsequently pleaded guilty to the offence during a prior hearing.
Appearing at Hull Crown Court today, Friday, 20 September, Bakhtullah Safi was sentenced to eight years, Habibullah Ahmadzi was sentenced to eight years, and Kehan Safi was sentenced to nine years in prison.
On Sunday, 30 July, just after midnight, a woman was walking along Ferensway, Hull, where a car queue was parked. The woman got into one of the cars, believing this was a taxi, where she was raped.
Following the attack, a large-scale Investigation was instigated with officers from our Protecting Vulnerable Persons Team and the Major Crime Team undertaking hours of trawling and reviewing excessive amounts of CCTV footage in and around the Hull City Centre to identify the vehicle concerned, as well as numerous other enquiries to trace and identify the suspects, Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai and Kehan Safi, using the car.
From the recovered CCTV, the footage captured the woman entering the vehicle and Bakhtullah Safi driving towards Hull Royal Infirmary. The car was identified as being registered to Bakhtullah Safi.
Further enquiries were conducted to trace the vehicle’s journey, and it was discovered that Bakhtullah Safi travelled from Ferensway before dropping the woman at an address in Hull where she was allowed to get out of the vehicle.
They continued to deceive the woman during the journey that it was a licenced taxi. Having raped the woman alongside Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai and Kehan Safi then requested a £20 fare for the trip, which the woman refused and fled to safety.
Following these enquiries, Bakhtullah Safi was arrested on Saturday, 5 August, and Kehan Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai were arrested on Sunday, 6 August. Detectives interviewed all three men and were subsequently charged with rape.
Following an eight-day trial at Hull Crown Court, a jury returned a guilty for Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai.
Officer in the case, Detective Constable Ashley Webster, said: “Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai and Kehan Safi are what I can only describe as ‘violent sexual predators’ who subjected a lone woman who was on her way home from a night out with friends, to an utterly horrific attack for their sexual desires.
“The woman has been courageous throughout the investigation and court proceedings. What she has been through is something no one should ever be put through, and whilst this result today will never take away the horrific experience and pain, I hope it goes someway in allowing her to heal as she continues to recover.
“We understand the bravery and courage it takes to come forward, and I want to commend her for showing such strength as she has allowed us to take these abhorrent men off the streets of Humberside.”
Detective Inspector Jon Jeffs, who led the investigation, said, “We will never tolerate or condone any form of violence against women or girls in Humberside. Incidents of this nature always receive the highest level of dedicated response, as DC Webster and the team engaged in this investigation have demonstrated.
“We are committed to making our streets safer by thoroughly investigating reported offences, pursuing perpetrators, bringing them to justice, and preventing further offending.
“To anyone who is or who may have been the victim of rape or sexual assault, I would urge you to please, come forward and report it to us.
“We will listen to you and do all we can to take action against those responsible and bring them to justice. By working closely with other organisations, charities, and agencies, we can also ensure you are offered the help and support needed following these offences.”
You can speak to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously or report directly through our 101 number or 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively, you can anonymously contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.