Three Afghan men have been sentenced to prison after a teenage girl was groomed through Snapchat, lured to Bristol and raped, according to UK authorities.
Mehrab Safi, 21, Salman Habibkheil, 19, and Awal Ahmadzai, 19, along with a 17-year-old boy, were convicted of offences against the 17-year-old victim following a trial earlier this year.
The four were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on October 6, receiving a combined 36 years in custody.
Victim groomed through Snapchat
The victim first met Safi in Bristol on November 25, 2025, while visiting the city with a friend for Christmas shopping.
Safi initially attempted to persuade the two girls to visit his home, offering drugs and a place to charge their phones. They declined and returned home.
However, Safi continued communicating with the victim through Snapchat and requested indecent images from her.
Less than a week later, Safi and Habibkheil arranged for the girl to travel to Bristol by taxi. She was taken to Safi’s home in St Werburghs, where she was given alcohol.
The court heard that Safi, Habibkheil, Ahmadzai and the 17-year-old boy then raped and sexually assaulted the victim over several hours.
Police found the girl at Safi’s home after her mother reported her missing. The 17-year-old boy was arrested at the scene, while the three men were arrested several days later after being returned to the UK from France.
Three men fled to France
The three men attempted to leave the UK after the offences and were subsequently brought back from France to face trial.
Investigators found that phones belonging to Habibkheil and Ahmadzai had been used to search online for news about the incident. The devices were also used to research court procedures relating to serious sexual offences.
Prison sentences
Safi was convicted of two counts of rape and arranging or facilitating the travel of a female for exploitation. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Habibkheil was convicted of rape and arranging or facilitating the travel of a female for exploitation and received nine years’ detention.
Ahmadzai was convicted of rape and sexual assault and was sentenced to nine years’ detention.
The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named because of his age, was convicted of rape and sentenced to three years’ detention.
Judge says victim was left ‘broken beyond resistance’
During sentencing, Judge Cullum said the defendants had preyed on a vulnerable victim and left her “broken beyond resistance”.
The judge said the victim had been given alcohol to increase her vulnerability and reduce her ability to resist.
The victim told the court that the offences had significantly affected her life. She said she had stopped going out and had put her plans to attend college on hold because of severe anxiety.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Cable, the senior investigating officer, said the offenders had taken advantage of a vulnerable girl and that the trauma would remain with her.
CPS prosecutor Georgina Broom said the victim had been targeted, groomed and lured to an unfamiliar city before being assaulted over several hours.
The convictions followed a police investigation into the offences and the subsequent return of the three men from France to the UK.
