MONTELL MOORE AND SOFIAN ZOBERI SENTENCED FOR RAPE IN BRENTFORD AND ISLEWORTH

In a harrowing case that has shocked the communities of Brentford and Isleworth, two men have been convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the brutal assault of a 17-year-old girl. The incident, which took place on March 12, 2016, involved the footballer Montell Moore, aged 22, and his flatmate Sofian Zoberi, aged 23, both of whom met the victim through Tinder and subsequently subjected her to a horrifying ordeal.

According to court proceedings, Moore and Zoberi laughed as they held a pillow and duvet over the teenager’s face, attempting to silence her cries during the assault. The victim was left naked and in shock, with her clothes missing, as the two men continued their attack. After the assault, they filmed the girl in her vulnerable state and shared video clips with friends via WhatsApp, further compounding the trauma she endured.

Moore, a former Charlton Athletic midfielder, denied three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault but was ultimately convicted on two counts of rape and one of sexual assault. The court sentenced him to 11 and a half years in prison. Zoberi, who also denied multiple charges including two counts of rape and one of sexual assault, was found guilty of one count of rape and one of sexual assault. He received a sentence of eight and a half years. Both men will be registered as sex offenders for life, reflecting the severity of their crimes.

The victim provided a detailed account to police, describing her feelings during the attack: “They were just laughing. I lay there, I was crying. I don’t think he saw me crying. I was just thinking ‘Okay, well, this is rape.’ What has gone on here has happened. I was just in shock. I don’t know. I didn’t think that much of it. I just thought ‘okay, I was raped.’ They both fell asleep next to me. I was laying next to them. I had no idea where my clothes were.”

Further evidence revealed that police recovered five videos of sexual intercourse on Zoberi’s phone, with each clip lasting up to 70 seconds. During her testimony, the victim described her feelings of disgust and helplessness: “I was just so disgusted. I just froze. I was crying — I cried a lot that night but did not really see. They did not take me seriously at all. They kept telling me to ‘shut up’ and made me feel vulnerable. They told me to shut up about not wanting to do it. I did not shout, I got scared. I did not try to intervene.”

She also recounted how the assault was carried out in a casual manner, with the men repeating the act multiple times. “They just did it anyway. I tried to see and they would switch and move away. They did not care about treating me in that way. They just did what they wanted to do. Montell was the leader, his friend did what he wanted him to do. I realize I should have just left then. He was recording at some point. He pulled me back and my hair was wrapped around his wrist. I did not want to do anything with the friend. I told the friend: ‘I already told you no.’”

The victim expressed feelings of worthlessness and despair, stating, “It made me feel cheap. I was already in a situation I could not get out of. At one point I did not want to have sex with either of them. I just thought, well, it is just going to have to be an option I am going to take. I did not know how to get out.”

In her victim impact statement, she emphasized the lasting emotional scars: “What was for them a careless night of fun was torment for me. I will never forget how they made me feel and how they forced me to act. This is not about revenge, it is about people knowing this behaviour was wrong.”

Regarding their football careers, Moore had previously scored on his debut for Brentford in a Championship League Cup match in August 2014. He signed a new three-year contract shortly after but eventually lost his place in the squad. He was loaned out to Burnham and Danish club Midtjylland before his contract with Brentford was mutually terminated in February 2016. Subsequently, Moore signed with Charlton Athletic for the remainder of the 2015/16 season. After obtaining international clearance, he returned to England and joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Enfield Town last October, continuing his career amidst the fallout from this case.