The first images have emerged of two Afghan migrants standing trial accused of raping and sexually assaulting an autistic teenage girl on a busy commuter train.
Baryalai Rahimi, 25, and Mirebadurahman Sadat, 29, allegedly spotted the teenager, who had run away from home, at a station in rural Kent before following her on to a London-bound train on February 5.
Rahimi, from Southall in west London, and Sadat, from Cricklewood in north-west London, deny 20 charges between them, including several counts of sexual activity with a child.
Jurors have heard that Rahimi allegedly raped the girl three times in the train toilets, while Sadat is accused of assaulting her twice.
Giving evidence at Inner London Crown Court today, Rahimi wore a green tracksuit and spoke through a Dari interpreter. He told the jury that, in certain circumstances, men could not stop themselves, in comments relating to the alleged incident.
Rahimi was shown CCTV footage of himself and the complainant on the train.
‘How would you describe her mood at this point?’ asked Sebastian Cox, representing Rahimi.
‘Happy, very happy,’ Rahimi replied. The footage shows the girl sitting on his lap.
‘How did she come to be sitting on your lap?’ Mr Cox asked.
The first images have emerged of two Afghan migrants standing trial accused of raping and sexually assaulting an autistic teenage girl on a busy commuter train
Baryalai Rahimi, 25, and Mirebadurahman Sadat, 29, allegedly spotted the teenager at a rural Kent station before following her on to the London-bound train on February 5
‘You can see it, she herself sat on my lap,’ he said.
Rahimi claimed the girl began rubbing her bottom against him.
‘She is trying to kiss me and is also touching my face,’ he told the court.
‘She was very relaxed, very happy,’ he added.
‘Did you ask her to come to the toilet with you?’ Mr Cox asked.
‘Never,’ Rahimi replied.
‘Did she at any point behave as though she was in pain or distress?’ Mr Cox asked.
‘Never, no. She was very relaxed and happy,’ Mr Rahimi said.
He said that, after they left the toilet, the girl wanted to take a selfie with him.
‘She wanted us to take a selfie,’ he said.
Mr Cox asked Rahimi: ‘At any point did you ask Mr Sadat whether [the girl] was his type?’
He replied: ‘Never, no. In fact, Mr Sadat asked me what I was doing with her inside the toilet.’
‘Have you ever shared a girl with Mr Sadat?’ Mr Cox asked.
‘Never, no. It has never happened,’ Rahimi replied.
‘At any stage did you encourage her to go into the toilet with Mr Sadat?’ Mr Cox asked.
‘Never, no,’ Rahimi said.
He added: ‘Sadat asked me why the girl was following me so much. He asked whether she was in love with me and whether she was very mad about me.’
‘I responded, “I don’t know why she wants me so much and follows me wherever I go.”’
Rahimi said he was terrified when police arrested him. ‘I was extremely scared. I was holding the holy book, the Quran, to my chest.’
The jury has previously heard the teenager’s account of what allegedly happened on the train.
She said Rahimi kissed and sexually assaulted her while she was sitting on his lap, adding: ‘He didn’t ask if he could touch me or kiss me.’
‘I didn’t know how to say no, so I was just sitting there letting him do it.’
When police asked how she understood consent, she replied: ‘Two people wanting to do it.’
The girl said she had not wanted the sexual touching. ‘Obviously, if I say no it’s going to put me at risk and I’ll end up getting hurt, so I can’t really say no,’ she told officers.
She said that when Rahimi suggested going to the toilet, ‘I was trying to tell him no’. She described becoming distressed during the alleged assault because it ‘really, really hurt’.
The teenager alleged that Rahimi later apologised, raped her again and then left her with Sadat.
She told police that Rahimi had said of Sadat: ‘We share everything. We share girls, we share drinks.’
NEXT UP: Resurfaced Clip Shows Russell Brand and Noel Fielding Joking About Rape
The girl said Sadat then tried to persuade her to enter the toilet with him. She told officers: ‘I was shaking my head saying no because obviously I didn’t want to go.’
CCTV shown to the jury allegedly shows the girl entering a toilet alone before Sadat followed her and tried to open the door.
Rahimi denies three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, one count of assault by penetration and six alternative counts of sexual activity with a child.
Sadat denies two counts of assault by penetration, two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and four alternative counts of sexual activity with a child.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Richard Witcombe said to Rahimi: ‘The complainant was considerably shorter than you, wasn’t she?’
‘Not very, but she was short,’ Rahimi replied.
Mr Witcombe suggested that Rahimi had numerous opportunities to distance himself from the girl while they were on the train.
‘She wasn’t someone you couldn’t shake off, was she?’ Mr Witcombe asked.
‘I don’t think so,’ Rahimi replied.
‘You didn’t use the opportunity while she was in the toilet to give her the slip and leave, did you?’ Mr Witcombe said.
Rahimi replied: ‘I tried many times. You may have noticed she kept following me.’
Mr Witcombe said: ‘She told you she was 14 years of age, didn’t she?’
‘No, she didn’t. In fact, she said, “I am seventeen”,’ Rahimi replied.
‘You knew at that point that she was young, didn’t you, simply by looking at her?’ Mr Witcombe asked.
‘She was a young woman, yes,’ Mr Rahimi said.
He added: ‘I was of the opinion that she was 18 or 19.’
‘You put your coat around her, didn’t you?’ Mr Witcombe asked.
‘Yes, because she felt cold,’ Rahimi replied.
‘She said no and indicated that she did not want your coat around her,’ Mr Witcombe said.
‘Had she said no, she would not have taken my coat or used it,’ Rahimi replied.
‘You hugged her from behind, didn’t you?’ Mr Witcombe asked.
‘No,’ Rahimi said.
Mr Witcombe asked why Rahimi had questioned the girl about her age.
‘You knew full well that she was very young,’ he said.
‘Had I known, I would not even have asked her that question,’ Rahimi replied.
Rahimi maintained that it was the girl’s decision to enter the toilet with him.
‘It was not me who initiated it; she initiated it,’ he said.
Mr Witcombe said: ‘You’re an adult. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.’
‘Exactly, yes,’ Rahimi replied.
But he added: ‘In certain situations, as a man, one can’t stop himself depending on the situation and location.’
‘Are you saying you were in a situation with that person and in that place where you couldn’t stop?’ Mr Witcombe asked.
‘No,’ Rahimi replied.
He added: ‘She started it and I was encouraged as well.’
Rahimi continued to insist that the complainant had chosen to sit on his lap.
‘She made her choice,’ he said.
Mr Witcombe said: ‘You were turned on and feeling sexual. You wanted to have sex with this person.’
‘No,’ Rahimi replied.
The trial continues.