August 2014

Shelton man, 31, jailed after raping and filming assault on unconscious girl, 16, at house party

MARRIED father-of-two Mazafer Maroof was today starting a seven-year prison sentence after raping a 16-year-old girl in her own bed before filming a second assault.

The 31-year-old plied the teenager with alcohol until she fell unconscious before he carried out the sickening attack.

He then used his mobile phone to record a another assault on the victim.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Maroof, of Shelton, pictured, had earlier ‘pestered’ the girl at a house party before bombarding her with dozens of ‘vile and abusive’ text messages.

He was found guilty by a jury of rape and assault.

Jailing Maroof, Judge David Fletcher told him: “You have no empathy for your victim and you don’t have any remorse.”

Maroof carried out the attack as the teenager lay unconscious before using his mobile phone to film himself assaulting her a second time.

Married Maroof – who has two children including a 16-week-old baby – had denied any wrongdoing.

But a jury convicted him after the footage showing his victim was asleep at the time of the attack was played during the trial.

Now he is starting a seven-year jail sentence after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault.

He has also been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Jailing Maroof at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday, Judge David Fletcher told him: “It is clear that you were in a dark place, you were drinking vast amounts of alcohol, you were partying non-stop and you were separated from your wife and family.

“But you committed the offences on the girl. Your victim was a girl aged 16 and you were a married man of 30 at the time.

“She was unable to prevent you. The jury was shown video footage and it was clear there was no response.”

During the trial, the jury heard how Maroof started to pester his victim during a house party.

He left the property after friends told him to leave the girl alone but he started to bombard her with dozens of ‘vile and abusive’ text messages of a sexual nature.

The defendant, of Watford Street, Shelton, later persuaded the teenager and her friend to let him take them to a supermarket to buy more alcohol.

The trio then went back to a house to continue drinking into the early hours. But after the friend left, Maroof raped his victim after she fell asleep.

Barry Grennan, defending, said: “He is 31 and he should have known better. He should have realised he cannot ply people with drink. He shouldn’t have done it and regrets it bitterly.

“He has spent the last two months in custody and found that to be a thoroughly unpleasant situation. He needs to address this so it doesn’t happen again and he is prepared to undergo sex offence courses. He wants to get back to his wife and he’s devastated he can’t see his children. He wants to complete his sentence, come out, get back to his family and work.”

Following yesterday’s sentencing, Detective Inspector Becky Cawkwell, from Staffordshire Police’s Child Exploitation Team, welcomed the sentence.

She said: “This sends out a strong message to those who commit such crimes – you will be caught and dealt with accordingly. Staffordshire Police is committed to protecting children and other vulnerable members of the community. We thoroughly investigate all allegations of sexual abuse, including historic offences, and work with partners to tackle these very serious crimes in a sensitive manner.”