Two men jailed for kidnap and rape of teenage girl

Two men who kidnapped a teenage girl, beat her with nunchucks and repeatedly raped her have been jailed for a total of 37 years.

Abdul Howe, 22, and Ajani Williams, 21, repeatedly assaulted the 17-year-old victim, who was exploited through a County Lines operation that ran from Ipswich to London.

The teenage girl first began speaking to Howe on social media and he later kidnapped her from her home in Ipswich. She was taken to a hostel and her phone was taken, before Howe attacked her with nunchucks and raped her twice.

Howe then organised a taxi to take the victim to his home in Hammersmith, west London, where his friend Williams was waiting.

The girl was imprisoned for two days by Howe and Williams who repeatedly raped her and called her “fat” and “ugly”.

Judge Fiona Barrie said: “What happened to her in that room, over the course of those two days, was nothing short of horrific.

“Not only was she subjected to further gratuitous violence from you Mr Howe, punching her to her body, she was also subjected to further humiliating depraved sexual violence.”

The victim was eventually released, but not before she was forced to record a message saying that all sexual activity that had taken place was consensual.

She went to a Lewisham police station in September 2020 to report that she had been kidnapped and raped.

Howe, of Fortunegate Road, Brent, was convicted of two counts of kidnap, seven counts of rape, one count of possession of an item with a blade or point, one count of sexual assault by penetration, one count of false imprisonment, two counts of actual bodily harm and one count of perverting the course of justice. He was sentenced to 20 years and eight months imprisonment.

Williams, of Keslake Road, Brent, was convicted of false imprisonment, actual bodily harm, five counts of rape and one count of perverting the course of justice. He also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a class B drug. He was sentenced to 16 years and four months imprisonment.

DC Tony Larkin, who led the Met Police investigation, said: “The offences committed by these men against a vulnerable teenage girl are abhorrent and her account is one of the most distressing I have ever heard.

“They are extremely dangerous individuals and our city will be safer now they are off our streets.

“The victim in this case has shown incredible bravery, from initially coming forward and reporting what had happened to providing the vital evidence which secured today’s verdicts. We hope this shows how seriously we take allegations of this nature and that we will provide support at every step of the way to ensure justice is served.”