Teenage girl subjected to 'abhorrent' rape by three men and 17-year-old

Police say victim 'displayed tremendous courage' in bringing attackers to justice

The men were sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court for an 'abhorrent' rape (Google/screengrab)

Three men and a teenager have been jailed for subjecting a 16-year-old girl to an "abhorrent" rape after she asked them for directions.

Shersha Muslimyar, 21, Tamin Rahmani, 38, Rafiullah Hamidy, 24, were sentenced to 14 years in prison.

A 17-year-old, who was handed seven years, cannot be named for legal reasons.

They attacked the victim as she approached them when making her way to a friend's house after a night out in Ramsgate, Kent, last September.

The men then took her to a flat, where she was raped, then sent away out the back of the building.

She was eventually found crying in the street by two members of the public who called the police.

Hamidy initially fled to Italy after the attack, but was returned to the UK in March after a European Arrest Warrant was issued, police said.

Left to right: Tamin Rahmani, 38, Shersha Muslimyar, 21 and Rafiullah Hamidy, 24, who were each given 14 year sentences for raping a teenager who asked them for directions (Kent Police/PA Wire)

All four defendants had denied a charge of rape, but were found guilty at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday.

Detective Inspector Richard Vickery, of Kent Police, said: "The victim in this case was a vulnerable teenage girl who was taken advantage of and subjected to some of the most horrendous crimes imaginable.

"It was late at night, she was lost and she asked a group of men for directions.

"Instead they saw an opportunity to fulfil their depraved sexual desires and betrayed the trust she placed in them in the worst possible way.

"Rape is an abhorrent crime and the victim has suffered a great deal of emotional harm from the ordeal she was forced to endure.

"She has displayed tremendous courage in reliving what happened to her, and I would like to personally thank her for having the strength to help bring her offenders to justice.

"They clearly pose a significant danger to women and children and are fully deserving of the lengthy prison sentences they have received."