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Sultani Bakatash, 29, was sentenced to 14 years in prison by Bolton Crown Court for raping two 14-year-old girls at his flat in Bolton on December 6. The court heard that Bakatash encouraged the girls to drink alcohol until they were incapacitated before committing the sexual assaults. He faced four charges: two counts of rape, one of sexual assault, and one of assault by penetration, all confirmed during a four-week trial. The judge noted that Bakatash's prior service with the British Army in Afghanistan might affect his potential deportation after serving part of his sentence.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Sultani Bakatash, 29, an Afghan, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of raping two 14-year-old girls at his home in Georgina Court, Bolton, Greater Manchester on December 6. The incident began when the girls met Bakatash through Snapchat and he invited them to his flat where they drank vodka and Coke until they were nearly unconscious. After a four-week trial, Bakatash was found guilty of two counts of rape, one sexual assault, and one count of assault by penetration. During the trial, it emerged that Bakatash had worked with the British Army in Afghanistan, which may affect his potential deportation status. One girl managed to escape and alert a neighbor who called for help, leading to Bakatash's arrest.
Written for “Sexual Assault Conviction” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 16852 · logged 2026-09-17
- Published
A man has been jailed for 14 years for raping two teenage girls after encouraging them to drink alcohol at his flat.
asserted
man → publish → flat
Sultani Bakatash, 29, an Afghan, met one of the girls on Snapchat before inviting her and her friend to his home in Georgina Court, Bolton, Greater Manchester, on 6 December.
Bolton Crown Court heard the 14-year-old girls drank vodka and Coke and became so intoxicated they were passing in and out of consciousness before Bakatash raped and sexually assaulted them.
Following a four-week trial, he was convicted of two counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of assault by penetration.
asserted
he → meet → penetration
The judge said his work with the British Army in Afghanistan might mean he was not deported.
uncertain
he → say → Afghanistan
One of the girls managed to escape from the flat and knocked on a neighbour's door, the court heard.
asserted
court → manage → door
She said: "He's trying to rape my friend.
asserted
He → say → friend
She's locked in.
asserted
She → lock → ?
He's raping her."
asserted
He → rap → her
The court heard Bakatash encouraged the girls to keep drinking while taking only a sip himself and complimenting them on their appearance.
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Bakatash → hear → appearance
Charlotte Rimmer, prosecuting, said he had arranged to meet the girls, encouraged them to drink and then seized the opportunity to rape them.
asserted
he → prosecute → them
She described him as "a man, intent on sexual gratification, regardless of what they wanted".
asserted
they → describe → what
The court heard both girls became so drunk they passed out and each witnessed the other being raped and sexually assaulted.
asserted
other → hear → ?
Sentencing Bakatash, Judge Kenderik Horne said he was sure the defendant had used force to overcome physical resistance.
asserted
defendant → sentence → resistance
"You encouraged them to keep drinking," he said.
asserted
he → encourage → them
"You did that so they would become so drunk they would not be able to stop you having sex with them."
asserted
they → do → them
Bakatash initially claimed the teenagers had initiated and consented to sex.
asserted
teenagers → claim → sex
He then said he could not remember what had happened before later denying any sexual activity had taken place.
uncertain
activity → say → place
The judge told him: "You told the jury you had not engaged in any sexual activity.
asserted
you → tell → activity
That was a lie, the jury saw through your lie.
asserted
jury → see → lie
'High risk' to females
The court heard one of the girls had suffered severe psychological harm, while the effects of the sexual assault on the other would stay with her for life.
asserted
effects → hear → life
A probation report said Bakatash did not acknowledge his offending and assessed him as posing a continued high risk to women and girls.
asserted
Bakatash → say → women
Bakatash fled the property after the offences and was arrested two days later at his brother's house.
asserted
Bakatash → flee → house
The court heard he had been in the UK for two years and had indefinite leave to remain, with his mother, two brothers and two sisters also lived in the country.
asserted
mother → hear → country
Umar Shehzad, defending, said Bakatash had been shot and injured while working with the British Army in Afghanistan.
asserted
Bakatash → defend → Afghanistan
He said Bakatash had left Afghanistan out of fear following the Taliban takeover in 2021 and had felt "overwhelmed" by living in a foreign country.
asserted
Bakatash → say → country
The judge said Bakatash could be deported after serving two-thirds of his sentence, but added this might not happen because he had worked with the British Army and fled Afghanistan in fear following the Taliban takeover.
uncertain
he → say → takeover
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asserted
You → send → 2230
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