A 25-year-old Afghan national, Musafar Hotak, faces 10 years behind bars after raping a vulnerable, intoxicated woman in the early hours of July 12, 2022. The victim sent a chilling voicemail to her girlfriend capturing the initial assault.
The Nightclub Incident and Attack
The woman had been ejected from a nightclub by bouncers due to her heavy intoxication. As she tried to reach her girlfriend, Hotak, then 22, began following her. A voicemail on her phone recorded her pleas for him to stop, Southampton Crown Court heard.
She later recalled waking up in Hotak’s home with him on top of her, sexually assaulting and then raping her. Despite her repeated demands to stop, she felt powerless against his significant force.
After escaping, she alerted authorities. An intimate swab from her matched Hotak’s DNA, securing his conviction.
Victim’s Devastating Impact
In her personal statement to the court, the victim described living in constant fear. The attack left scars across every aspect of her life, leading to self-harm and a suicide attempt.
She stated: ‘What happened to me destroyed my life in ways I never thought possible. I didn’t just feel violated, I felt erased. Since that day I have lived in fear, shame, silence and unbearable pain that I can’t fully describe. I was left feeling broken and empty and terrified of the world around me.’
Sentencing and Judicial Remarks
Judge Gary Lucie imposed a 10-year prison term on Hotak, plus a four-year extended licence period. He also issued an indefinite restraining order barring contact with the victim and placed him on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
Addressing Hotak through a Pashtu interpreter, the judge noted: ‘The Home Office will consider whether to deport you. You took advantage of the victim who was very drunk. It is obvious your offending has had a severe psychological impact on her which will probably remain with her for the rest of her life.’
The judge praised the victim’s bravery: ‘I want to pay tribute to her for her bravery in coming forward and going through what must have been a very difficult time for her.’
Prosecution and Government Response
Elizabeth Medland from the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘This was a terrifying and traumatic attack on a young woman who was only trying to get home safely after a night out with friends. Musafar Hotak exploited her, ignored her protests, and violated her when she was unable to protect herself. My thoughts are with the victim in this case, whose powerful witness testimony was instrumental in securing a conviction.’
A Home Office spokesperson confirmed: ‘All foreign national offenders who receive a prison sentence of over 12 months are automatically referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity and will be barred from returning to the UK. We will not tolerate foreign criminals committing crimes in the UK and that is why we are scaling up their deportations.’
