UK court jails carer on student visa 12 years for raping bedbound woman - Punch Newspapers
A Pakistani care worker on a student visa has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping a bedbound woman in Bristol, United Kingdom. Fazli Qadeer, 25, from Peshawar, followed his brother to Bristol to study at university and worked as a carer. Bristol Crown Court heard that Qadeer learned that the family of an elderly service user would be away and attended the bedbound woman’s home during a shift, GB News reported Saturday. He climbed onto her bed, told her he “loved her” and “wanted to marry her”, before kissing her on the lips, touching her breasts and subjecting her to a sustained sexual attack, including oral rape. Qadeer denied raping the woman and, during the trial, claimed that she had sexually assaulted him. He was convicted of rape at Bristol Crown Court and sentenced to 12 years in prison.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google At the sentencing, his barrister, Jemima Lovatt, said Qadeer had written a letter of apology following his conviction. She said he had described growing up in “difficult circumstances around a lot of violence and a culture of fear”. Lovatt also told the court that Qadeer had disclosed to his family since his conviction that he had been a victim of rape as a child. The defence lawyer said the victim had treated Qadeer with “friendliness” and argued that his “cultural background meant he didn’t understand those manners and behaviours”. Police arrest 32 suspects, recover 10 rifles in Plateau operations UK-based Nigerian jailed 44 weeks for masturbating before woman Woman found dead in Jos wildlife park She also asked the court to consider his “background and cultural upbringing” in understanding how the offending occurred. However, Recorder Sarah Regan told Qadeer that he had been of “previous good character” but said it was “difficult to fathom your motive for this attack other than to consider that you did it just because you could”. The court heard that several character references described Qadeer’s charitable work and efforts to “make life better for many”. In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said the attack had left her suffering from “severe nightmares” and unable to sleep. She said she was frightened by noises and feared that Qadeer would return and kill her. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had begun questioning male friends she had known for a lifetime and had been prescribed diazepam for stress. She said Qadeer had “taken away my freedom”. “We still don’t know if he did it to anyone else before but I know I have stopped it from happening again,” she said. Qadeer is also subject to a restraining order preventing him from contacting the woman. The Home Office is expected to review his immigration status after he completes his prison sentence. Tosin Oyediran Tosin Oyediran is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over eight years of professional experience in reporting and storytelling. He is known for conducting incisive interviews and producing compelling human-angle stories that bring clarity and depth to the news. Tosin covers a broad range of beats including politics, health, advocacy, sports, and entertainment, with a strong focus on people-centred reporting. His work reflects firsthand newsroom experience, editorial insight, and a commitment to accurate, engaging, and trustworthy journalism.
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