Three Afghan Nationals Jailed for Raping Teenager After Grooming Her on Snapchat

Three Afghan nationals who groomed a teenage girl on Snapchat and subjected her to a prolonged sexual attack in Bristol have been sentenced to substantial prison terms. The men were arrested after fleeing the United Kingdom in the back of a lorry and being intercepted by French police. The case, heard at Bristol Crown Court, has drawn attention to the dangers of online grooming and the vulnerability of young people.

Mehrab Safi, 21, Awal Ahmadzai, and Salman Habibkheli, both 19, were convicted on 26 June of multiple offences committed against the 17-year-old girl at a house in the St Werburghs area of Bristol. The offences took place in November of last year. The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had traveled to Bristol for a Christmas shopping trip when she first encountered her eventual attacker.

Safi met the teenager at the Cabot Circus shopping centre on 25 November 2025 while she was visiting the city with a friend. The pair exchanged telephone numbers and Snapchat details during that initial meeting. Five days later, Safi used the social media platform to manipulate the girl into sending him nude photographs. Detective Sergeant Jo Babbage of Avon and Somerset Police told the court that the grooming process began almost immediately after their first encounter, describing how the contact "predominantly" took place via mobile phone and Snapchat.

Having secured compromising images, Safi then arranged and paid for a taxi to transport the girl from her home in Somerset to his house in Bristol. The journey took place in the early hours of 30 November 2025. Upon her arrival at the property, the girl was plied with alcohol before being sexually assaulted and raped over a period of several hours by Safi, Ahmadzai, Habibkheli, and a 17-year-old Afghan boy who also participated in the attack.

The victim was eventually discovered by police officers who attended the property after her mother reported her missing. The 17-year-old boy was arrested at the scene and later convicted of rape. He did not attempt to leave the country. He was sentenced to two years and seven months in a youth detention centre. Safi received a sentence of 15 years, while Ahmadzai and Habibkheli were each jailed for nine years in a youth detention centre.

In a victim impact statement read aloud to the court, the teenage girl described how the assault had fundamentally altered her life. She said she had been left "traumatised" and gripped by a fear of leaving her home. "I had a lot more friends, I would go out a lot more, I was happier," she told the court. "Now, I've stopped going out, I don't even leave the house in general. If I ever leave the house, it is only with my best friend or mum. I would not be able to go out by myself, even the thought of that makes me panic."

She went on to explain that her mind frequently suppresses the memories of what happened, but that they resurface during periods of emotional difficulty, intensifying her distress. "Sometimes I would dream about what happened, which I was not expecting, and I do not like those dreams at all," she said. She added that she now feels like "a different person" compared to who she was a year ago, underlining the lasting psychological damage caused by the attack.

Sentencing the three men, Judge Michael Cullum stated that the experience of being trafficked across the country and raped by multiple attackers would have inflicted "unimaginable" trauma on the young victim. The judge's remarks underscored the severity of the offences and the calculated nature of the grooming process that preceded them.

Detective Sergeant Jo Babbage praised the bravery of the victim for coming forward and assisting the investigation. "It's clear that that's where the grooming and the contact process was started that led up to her being brought into Bristol by taxi which was arranged by Safi," she said. Babbage also reflected on the broader implications of the case, noting that as a parent, reading about how a simple Christmas shopping trip ended in such horror was "terrifying" and highlighted the risks young people face online.

After the attacks, the three men attempted to evade justice by fleeing from officers. They traveled to Birmingham and then to London before leaving the United Kingdom concealed in the back of a lorry. Their escape attempt was thwarted when French police stopped the vehicle and detained them. The men were subsequently returned to the UK to face trial and sentencing.

The case has raised urgent questions about how social media platforms such as Snapchat are used by predators to target and manipulate vulnerable teenagers. Safi's ability to secure nude images and arrange a late-night taxi pickup demonstrates the speed with which online grooming can escalate into physical sexual violence. It also highlights the importance of parental vigilance and the need for robust safeguarding measures to protect young people from similar threats in the future.

The sentencing of the three men sends a clear message that sexual violence against children and young people will be met with severe punishment, regardless of attempts to escape the country. However, for the victim and her family, the consequences of that night in November will continue to be felt long after the prison gates close. The case serves as a sobering reminder of the devastating impact of grooming and the enduring strength required by survivors to seek justice.