Two men jailed for raping three young girls

Saif Kahya and Abalzaq Salih is on the right and has shorter dark hair and stubble

Two men have been jailed for raping three young girls at house parties they threw for "vulnerable youngsters" in Plymouth in December 2017.

Abalzaq Salih, 31, from Plymouth, was given a 19-year sentence for two counts of rape of two victims.

Saif Kahya, 32, from Liverpool, was given 12 years for the rape of another teenager.

Sentencing at Plymouth Crown Court, Judge Peter Johnson said the case had "brought back extremely painful memories" for those involved and it took "commendable inner strength" for them to come forward.

The court heard how the pair had given the girls, who were aged 16 and under at the time, drugs and alcohol at parties they had thrown.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the abuse came to light after a girl came forward and gave key evidence to police after she watched the BBC drama Three Girls, which described a high-profile investigation in Rochdale.

In August, Salih was convicted of two counts of rape of a female aged 15 or under.

Saif Kahya, 32, from Liverpool, was found guilty of one count of rape of a female aged 16 or over.

At the sentencing, prosecutor Dan Pawson-Pounds read out statements prepared by the victims.

'Damaged and sullen'

One of the girls, who was 14 when she was raped by Salih, said afterwards she felt "dirty" and as if he had "taken away my childhood innocence".

In her statement, she said: "I can't control when I'm reminded of what he did to me. It's a memory I will never forget and have no control of. It's changed my life forever.

"I live with what he did to me every day in the back of my mind."

His second victim, who was also 14 at the time, said she felt "degraded".

She said: "I need to move forward and need the success of my life I always wanted.

"I won't let him stop me. I hope he knows he's changed my life forever."

Mr Pawson-Pounds also read out a statement from the then 16-year-old victim of Kahya.

She said: "Being raped isn't something I will learn to live with."

The court heard how she became a "recluse", she was once "bubbly and outgoing" but turned "damaged and sullen".

'Lying fluently'

Mitigating, lawyers for the two men, Ali Rafati and Hollie Gilbery, said the pair had no previous convictions.

They added both had lived in the community for seven years after the offence and there had been no reoffending.

Judge Johnson said to Salih and Kahya: "Your lies were exposed for being utterly ridiculous.

"You have been lying fluently not only in interview but also under oath.

"You tried to deny the undeniable."

He also commended the witnesses and victims and said they "showed the most enormous courage and determination to see justice done".