One of them took her into the room while the other kept watch outside in horrific incident
Shahram Ibrehemi, left, and Riley Smith(Image: Humberside Police )
A man repeatedly raped a 13-year-old girl in a room at a Hull hotel after he and another man lured her there. The teenage girl had met up with friends in Hull when she encountered Shahram Ibrehemi, who was 19 at the time, and Riley Smith, who was then I8.
They invited her to “go around town with them” and told her that they were staying at a hotel in the city, a court heard. Ibrehemi, now 20, who had previously been living in “immigration-based accommodation”, admitted rape.
Smith, now 19, from Grimsby, but living in Hull at the time, denied rape but he was convicted by a jury after a trial at Grimsby Crown Court. He refused to attend court to be sentenced.
The Grimsby court heard that the girl told Ibrehemi and Smith that she was 13 years old. She told them to “go away” and said that they were both “paedos” and that she had no intention of going with them.
But the men persisted with their attempt to lure the girl to go with them and she gave them her mobile number in the hope they would leave her alone. For a short time, the girl went with her friends and she drank alcohol.
The two men later met up with her again, by which time she was drunk. She later said that she had drunk three quarters of a litre of vodka mixed with cherry Coke and was “unable to walk in a straight line.”
Rapist Shahram Ibrehemi(Image: Humberside Police)
Judge Gurdial Singh told Ibrehemi: “She was your quarry. She did not stand a chance when you approached her. You told her to stand up and come with you. You frog-marched her to the hotel.”
Judge Singh said that CCTV had shown the girl “barely capable of standing, let alone walk in a straight line.” He said: “It was crystal clear she could not stand up.”
The men flanked her and led her to Smith’s room. Smith stood outside and he told Ibrehemi that he would give them 20 minutes. “You knew what was going to happen,” said Judge Singh.
Ibrehemi repeatedly raped the girl. Smith kept entering the room and telling Ibrehemi to “shut her up as she was going to get you both caught.”
A pillow was put over her head and Ibrehemi punched her in the leg, the court heard. CCTV from the hotel corridor showed Smith “pacing up and down like a cat on a hot tin roof” while he was on look-out and occasionally looking into the room.
A member of the hotel staff, who had been alerted by the suspicious behaviour, attended. Smith lied and said he was attempting to get a signal for his mobile phone.
But the staff member heard Smith open the room door, telling Ibrehemi to “hurry up.” The men then walked the girl out of the hotel. Again, CCTV captured her heavily intoxicated and barely able to walk.
The girl’s next recollection was being collected by her father from Anlaby Road and taken home, the court heard. She later confided in a friend and her parents were informed. Humberside Police were alerted and the two men were arrested.
Claire Holmes, prosecuting, read the victim impact statement of the teenage girl, who attended court with the support of her friends and the court witness service. She described how awful it had been for her and her family.
“The pain and hurt is hard to comprehend,” she said. “The two men have taken away by confidence, my personality, my ability to function and my virginity. My virginity should have been protected, as should have I.
“It should have been with someone I love and someone who loved me. I will never get over being raped. It is with me every second of every minute of every hour of every day.
“It is something that will live with me forever and I will never forget what happened to me.” She added she had been a happy, confident young woman but she now felt scared and mistrusted boys and men and she rarely went out.”
Riley Smith was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court(Image: Humberside Police)
She added: “I hope I can find the fun-loving, silly, confident young woman I was.” Miss Holmes said that the two men had acted together to commit the offence.
Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Ibrehemi was 19 at the time of the offence and this highlighted his immaturity. He admitted his guilt at an early opportunity.
Asylum seeker Ibrehemi came to the UK from his native Iran as a 17-year-old refugee because his father paid people smugglers to take him, due to danger in his homeland. He had been looked after in “immigration-based accommodation in Hull”.
Ibrehemi was isolated, with little contact with his family in Iran. He had no previous convictions. He wanted to apologise to the victim.
Ibrehemi had been the victim of a number of assaults while awaiting sentence. “It is likely that the Home Office will be looking towards deportation,” said Miss Scott.
Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, representing Smith, submitted a psychological report on his behalf, along with a supporting letter from his mother. He had a “chaotic background to his life in care” after a domestic environment of abuse and a childhood of exploitation in County Lines drug dealing in Grimsby.
He moved to Hull to try to start a new life. He apologised for his actions. Judge Singh said that the offenders acted together to commit the rape and it was committed under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Ibrehemi was locked up for nine years and seven months. Smith, of no fixed address, was locked up for seven years.
Judge Singh told Smith that he had not physically attacked the girl. “You were a look-out, keeping watch,” said Judge Singh. “Without you providing the room and lying to the witness, this offence could not have been committed.”
Both will serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before being considered for parole. They will be on the sex offenders’ register for life and are barred from working anywhere with children.
Addressing the victim, Judge Singh said that the custodial sentences would be of little comfort to her and it would not make up for what happened. He stressed to her that she was the victim and not to reproach herself for taking alcohol.
“All young people are entitled to make mistakes,” he said. “They took advantage of you. You had the most awful experience. It was not of your making.”