Man jailed for raping girl in Plymouth

Left to right: Anthony Anantharajah, Saif Kahya and Abalzaq Salih

A man has been jailed for the rape of a 16-year-old girl in Plymouth.

Anthony Anantharajah, 35, from London was given a 13-year prison sentence.

Earlier in September, Abalzaq Salih, 31, from Plymouth, was given a 19-year sentence for two counts of rape of two victims, and Saif Kahya, 32, from Liverpool, was jailed for 12 years for the rape of another teenager.

Plymouth Crown Court heard how the older men deliberately targeted four teenage girls in 2017, giving them alcohol and drugs at parties so they could sexually assault them.

'An inner determination'

Sentencing Anantharajah, Judge Peter Johnson said the effects of what he did would last "a very long time".

His victim was praised by the judge for the courage she had shown in reading a victim impact statement during Monday's hearing, something he said had shown "an inner determination and personality to make a real go of [her] life".

In the statement, she talked about how she would "lay awake at night, reliving what happened and wondering 'why me?'".

She said she had spent seven years since the incident learning to respect herself again.

She said: "The impact on my life remains huge. I will never recover from what Anthony did to me."

"I know it wasn't my fault," she added.

'Very significant convictions'

The court heard after his arrest for the rape, Anantharajah went on to reoffend by targeting other teenage girls in January 2023.

This, the judge said, had resulted in two "very significant convictions" for attempting to meet girls aged under 16 following grooming, and attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

Anantharajah's 13-year sentence for rape will begin after he has completed the 40-month sentence he is currently serving in relation to those offences.

Devon and Cornwall Police's Plymouth commander, Temporary Ch Supt Scott Bradley, said: “I hope the sentencing can bring some sense of justice for all involved in this case, as they strive to move on with their lives.

“Our message to other survivors of sexual abuse is that we, as a city, are here to listen, to work with you, to support you, and to achieve justice."