RAMSGATE RAPE CASE: FOUR SENTENCED TO PRISON
In September 2017, four individuals involved in the gang-rape of a teenage girl in Ramsgate were sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court.The defendants include three men—Shershah Muslimyar, 20, formerly of Hovenden Close, Canterbury; Tamin Rahmani, 37, formerly of Northwood Road, Ramsgate; and Rafiullah Hamidy, 24, formerly of High Street, Herne Bay—and a 17-year-old youth from Ashford, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions.
The group assaulted the 16-year-old girl at Rahmani’s flat located above the former 555 takeaway on Northwood Road in the early hours of Sunday, 18 September 2016.
All four defendants denied the charges of rape but were found guilty following a trial in May.
Each adult defendant received a sentence of 14 years in prison, while the youth was sentenced to seven years.
Following the incident, Hamidy initially fled to Italy but was extradited back to the UK in March 2017 after a European Arrest Warrant was issued.
The incident came to light after two members of the public found the distressed girl crying on the street and invited her into their home.
The police were notified shortly afterward.
The Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate conducted thorough investigations and used forensic evidence and CCTV footage to link the suspects to the crime.
Rahmani was the first to be arrested on Sunday, 18 September, and Muslimyar was detained three days later.
The youth was arrested on Monday, 5 December.
Hamidy remained at large until authorities identified him and circulated his photograph on the ‘Most Wanted’ page of the Kent Police website and social media.
He was later found in Taranto, Italy, where he was detained by local police under the European Arrest Warrant.
Hamidy was extradited to the UK and returned to custody upon arriving at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday, 28 March.
