A man who entered and remained in the UK illegally over a decade ago has been convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl in a Merseyside park several years ago.
Sayed Miah, 44, dragged the teenager into bushes and threatened her, telling her: « If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you. » The horrific crime went unsolved until 2021, when Miah was arrested for possessing indecent images of children, and a DNA match linked him to the rape.
After denying the charges, he was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday. During sentencing on February 20, the victim’s statement revealed the devastating impact of the assault.
The now-adult victim revealed in a haunting statement to the court how the attack had « wrecked her life » detailing her descent into addiction, self-harm, and mistrust since the ordeal, stating: « I would like the court to know how this crime has affected me. I was only a girl when it happened to me and I have suffered every day of my life since. »
She detailed the aftermath of the horrific attack: « My family didn’t believe what happened and so I went off the rails, running away from home and doing what I wanted. I became addicted to alcohol and drugs and went into the care system. I began to self harm.
« The only way to stop this was to drink or take more drugs. No one cared about me and I didn’t care about them either. As I grew up I had no idea how to be an adult. I have never had a successful relationship in my life because I can’t trust people. »
The court was told that Miah, a kitchen porter and chef, entered the country illegally in 1999 and applied for a six-month visa in 2007, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. His bid for permanent residence in 2014 was rejected, leading to his detention in 2017 after all appeals were exhausted.
Judge David Swinnerton said: « Judges are not here to deal in politics but this is the law and no effort seems to have been made to enforce it. But if he had been deported, he might not have faced justice as he now has, so perhaps it’s just as well. »
The victim, then a 15-year-old girl, was threatened by Miah after the assault on The Dingle with the words: « You will see me again. If you tell anyone, I will kill you », causing her to remain silent about the attack for two weeks. Ruby Selva, defending, highlighted that Miah, now 44, married a Bangladeshi woman in 2022 who relies on him, and his imprisonment would affect her livelihood and status in the UK.
She added: « It was fully understood that, if convicted, he would face a substantial prison term. Knowing that he has shown up every day and co-operated in the process and behaved in a way which has been dignified. »
In sentencing Miah, Judge Swinnerton stated: « You came across a 15-year-old girl in the park. It was dark, it was badly-lit and there were a lot of bushes around. You pushed her into these bushes. You pinned her down eventually and you raped her.
« She was alone, walking down the path in the dark in a secluded area. She saw no one else until she walked past a man going in the opposite direction, and that was you. She was therefore particularly vulnerable as a lone 15-year-old girl in a dark, secluded park.
« Furthermore you specifically targeted her as a specifically vulnerable victim. By that I mean not that you planned it – there’s not evidence that you were in the park planning to rape someone – but when you saw a lone girl in a secluded area walk past you, you took that opportunity. »
He described the incident as « The stuff of nightmares. It’s the stuff of the nightmares of young women and the stuff of nightmares of the parents of young women. »
Speaking about the victim, he said, « [The victim] sits behind you as a woman. What you did to her as a 15-year-old girl had a significant effect on her life. It’s not the only difficulty she has ever faced in her life. In some ways that made her all the more vulnerable as a victim.
« I have no doubt that she suffered as a direct result of what you did, severe psychological harm. I can only hope that your conviction brings some closure to this chapter and helps her to deal with it and helps her mental health to improve. But I have no doubt it will continue to affect her for the rest of her life. »
Miah was handed a 12-year prison sentence, with the judge stating: « I anticipate and express the view that the Home Office should consider seriously deporting you given the position in 2017. But that is for the Home Office to decide, not me. »
Miah will remain on the Sex Offenders register for life.
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