Man found guilty of raping woman in Nottinghamshire park

An asylum seeker has been found guilty of raping an “intoxicated and clearly defenseless” woman in a Nottinghamshire park. Sheraz Malik, 28, was found guilty of two counts of rape following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

Malik claimed that having sexual intercourse with the 18-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was consensual. The attack took place at Sutton Lawn park in Sutton-in-Ashfield on June 29 last year.

The jury of five men and seven women deliberated for nearly three hours before returning a unanimous guilty verdict on two charges and acquitting him on the third.

Malik, who was living in Bath Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, at the time of the offense, was a Pakistani-born asylum seeker and had previously resided in Italy, Germany and France before coming to the UK.

A reporting restriction was introduced at Nottingham Crown Court in September last year, preventing any mention of the defendant’s immigration status until the case was concluded.

Malik, who wore a white T-shirt and black Nike jacket as he listened to the hearing with the help of a Pashto translator in the dock, showed no signs of emotion as the verdicts were returned.

Judge Simon Ash KC thanked the jury for their work in the case, saying their task was accomplished.

He adjourned the case to a hearing on February 6 so that the sentencing date could be determined and ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

More to follow…