Two jailed for raping girl in Luton almost two decades ago

LUTON: Two men have been sentenced to a total of 36 years in jail for raping a young girl in Luton almost twenty years ago, according to a Bedfordshire Police press release.

Emdadul Lukman, 47 of Waldegrave Street, Hastings, East Sussex and Jakhir Hussain, 37, of Keymer Court, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, were sentenced on Thursday at St Albans Crown Court after being found guilty by a unanimous jury of multiple counts of rape and causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The investigation began in February 2018 after the victim found the courage to disclose the horrific abuse she endured, when both men were staying at her family home for a short period of time when she was a child. She described how Lukman and Hussain both manipulated and groomed her into taking part in sexual activity with each of them, by paying her attention, empathising with her, playing board games, and buying her sweets and gifts.

Now an adult, she decided to tell her mother and husband what had happened to her, which resulted in the abuse being reported to police and both men arrested and charged.

Following a two-week trial, Lukman was found guilty of six counts of raping a girl under the age of 13 and two counts of causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Hussain was found guilty of three counts of raping a girl under the age of 13 and three counts of causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and was jailed for 20 years. Both men must serve their whole term.

PC Benjamin Robertson, from our Child and Vulnerable Adult Abuse team, said: “These two men destroyed the childhood of an innocent young girl and this has had a profound effect on her as she has grown into an adult.”