Vile predator shouts 'you're taking me away from my daughter' as he's jailed

A teenage girl who was plied with alcohol until she could not recall anything said she wanted to "end her life" after she was raped. Vile predator Saif Kahya, 32 and from Liverpool, was one of three men who targeted vulnerable underage teenage girls at a series of parties in Plymouth in 2017.

The girls had been given alcohol and money to buy drugs but were then groomed and sexually assaulted by the men. Kahya appeared at Plymouth Crown Court along with Abalzaq Salih, 31, from Plymouth, and Anthony Anantharajah, 35, from London, who all denied charges, forcing their young victims to give evidence in court and relive their ordeals.

However, after a five-week trial the jury at Plymouth Crown Court found all of them guilty. Salih was found guilty of the rape of two underage girls in May and December 2017 while Kahya was found guilty of one count of rape of a third girl in December 2019.

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Anantharajah, also convicted of one count of rape of a female aged 16 or over, will be returned to court later this month for sentence. The court heard the older men deliberately targeted four teenage girls, debilitating them with drink or drugs at house parties for the purpose of committing sexual assaults.

PlymouthLive reported at one point the jury were told how the abuse came to light after one of the four girls came forward and gave key evidence to police having watched the BBC drama Three Girls which depicted the high-profile child sexual exploitation investigation in Rochdale.

The jury were told the programme "triggered her" and she reported how, during a series of parties in Plymouth in 2017, she was plied with alcohol. Dan Pawson-Pounds, prosecuting, told the sentencing hearing of Salih and Kahya that the predators had carried out a significant degree of planning by inviting the girls to parties and by isolating them "from their usual support networks".

He read a victim impact statement of Kahya's victim, who was 16 at the time, who wrote how she did not speak for days afterwards, such was her sense of shock. She said she knew she had been raped but because she had become so intoxicated she could still not recall details. She wrote how it left her wanting to "end my life".

She wrote how in her case she felt she was just "the kid in care who no-one would believe". Unable to tell anyone she said it was "so hard to live with this every day". As a result her mental health suffered and she became increasingly anxious and depressed, yet she could not tell the staff at her care home.

A year or two later she began to live independently, but found she was isolating herself as she was "too scared" to go out in case she saw Kahya, who was often known as 'Sid'. Paranoid of drink spiking and still feeling vulnerable she went from being "bubbly to sullen" , "petrified" of friends finding out about the assault.

She wrote how she even arranged for friends to deliver her shopping as she was so frightened of being out in public. She wrote how she feels like she "will never fully move on" and the rape was "not something I will learn to live with" as it had changed her life "in so many ways".

One of the girls raped by Salih told the court she was a virgin at the time and any mention of rape on television or in magazines would "immediately take me back" to the incident, adding "this is a memory I will never ever forget". She wrote how she "lived in fear" of seeing Salih and has since had to move away from Plymouth. She said she now suffered anxiety and panic attacks and has tried counselling but "they can't fix what he [Salih] did to me".

She added that she was "disgusted" that he denied the rape, forcing her to attend the trial and face cross-examination on the witness stand. She wrote how because the rape took place within days of Christmas, it had left her fearing that time of the year, with the approach of every December 25 having a "dark cloud" over it.

Another girl, who was also just 14 at the time, wrote of how Salih raped her after she had tried to stop him carrying another girl out of a room at a property. She wrote of how the rape had "changed her life and affected me forever". She revealed how she had been someone who was doing well at school, had a group of friends and was close to her family, but this all changed after she attended a party at the property.

The court had previously heard how a number of young teens had been at the party and alcohol was being offered up by Salih and Kahya, leading to some becoming "extremely drunk to the point of unconsciousness". Salih had tried to remove one girl to take to a room, but on waking another girl in the process who tried to stop him, he then turned his attention to her.

Noting how she had been invited to the party and went along with three friends and two other young people she did not know, the girl wrote: "I don't blame anyone for what happened - other than Salih. We were all children and we were all exploited."

In mitigation, Hollie Gilbery, representing Kahya, said he was aged 25 at the time of the offence and was now 32-years of age. She noted how he was in a stable relationship and had been training to become an electrician before he was remanded. She revealed that he was now a dad of two children, with his last child being born just five days ago, which he had to miss as he was in prison.

Ali Rafati, representing Salih, made reference to how the court had previously heard how the 31-year-old had come to Britain, remarking on how he had come from a "strict Islamic background" in Kuwait to a place where there were many more freedoms, including drink and drugs.

Noting how the parties took place at the addresses Mr Rafati said the girls were "certainly not forced into these locations". He noted how Salih had no previous convictions or cautions and now had a relationship which had resulted in a daughter.

Sentencing, Judge Peter Johnson said the men had carried out a "grooming process" with the drink and drugs on offer at arranged parties, noting how one named "young man" had acted a "go between or procurer" of the girls. Recounting one of the two rapes Salih was convicted of, Judge Johnson remarked how "to her great credit" one of the girls was "not prepared" to see her friend being carried out of a room by Salih and "bravely stopped you".

He said Salih turned his attention onto her "and kissed her, ignoring her protests and her crying. She told you to stop and that she hadn't had sex before. You raped her and then left." He told Salih: "Your lies were exposed as being utterly ridiculous by a thoroughly investigated, well presented prosecution. You tried to deny the undeniable and maintain that stance now."

Judge Johnson said the rapes had left the girls with "indelible memories", adding that what took place was "not their fault in any shape or form". He noted how all the witnesses to the events "showed the most enormous courage and determination to come to court to give evidence and see justice done".

Salih was sentenced to 19 years in prison while Kahya was handed a 12-year prison term. Both men were placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life. As the two men were taken down, Salih looked up briefly at the public gallery and called out "you're taking me away from my daughter". There was a brief outcry among the public gallery. "Good," came the response.

Judge Johnson praised the dignity and patience of those in the public gallery and the bravery of the victims saying he "hoped and wished for the very best of luck for their future".

Following the sentencing, Claire Brinton of the CPS said: "These two men knew these young girls could be exploited through drugs, alcohol and money. They were groomed and subjected to rape and serious sexual abuse. These defendants conducted a vicious and vile campaign of sexual abuse, in some instances multiple times against these victims, which must have caused life changing harm and trauma.

"We would like to extend a special thanks to the victims who came forward to report these crimes and gave evidence to a court about their horrific experiences. These prison sentences send a very clear message that the CPS, working alongside law enforcement, will relentlessly pursue justice and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, whenever that abuse takes place.

"I encourage any victims of child sexual abuse and sexual violence to report the crimes committed against them. It is never too late to seek justice - you are not alone and there is help available."