Staff ReportsJury finds Afghan national guilty at Bolton Crown Court after a shocking attack on two 14‑year‑old girls. The verdict centers on grooming over Snapchat, plied alcohol, and rape while the victims were unconscious. Sentencing is set for 9 September — justice is coming, but questions remain.
The conviction: what the jury found
At Bolton Crown Court a jury convicted 29‑year‑old Sultani Bakatash of multiple sexual offences. He was found guilty of two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault. Prosecutors say he groomed one girl on Snapchat, invited her and a friend to his flat, gave them alcohol until they drifted in and out of consciousness, and then raped and assaulted them while they could not resist.
How he lured them — and why that matters
This case is a brutal reminder of how predators use social media to find victims. Snapchat and other apps can hide real identities and make it easy to pretend to be someone else. Greater Manchester Police’s Child Protection team moved quickly — locating and arresting the defendant within about 48 hours — and investigators deserve praise for bringing this to court.
Unanswered questions about background and policy
Some reports say Bakatash arrived in the UK in 2022 and may have worked with British forces in Afghanistan, but those biographical claims are not confirmed by police or the Crown Prosecution Service. That uncertainty should worry responsible voices on both sides of the immigration debate. We should demand clear answers about who we admit, how we vet them, and whether any systems failed these girls — without turning a court verdict into a political witch hunt.
Sentencing, survivors, and the message we must send
Sentencing is scheduled for 9 September. The victims showed stunning courage through a four‑week trial, and police and prosecutors said their testimony was key to the conviction. The courts must now hand down a sentence that reflects the severity of the crimes and sends a firm message to would‑be predators. Above all, communities and leaders must protect children and cut off the easy grooming routes that led to this horror.
