An Afghan asylum seeker who raped a 15-year-old British girl just metres from his migrant hostel spent months living as a tourist across Europe before arriving in the UK via small boat, shocking social media images have revealed.
Sadeq Nikzad, 29, was jailed for nine years at the High Court in Livingston in June after attacking the schoolgirl in Falkirk town centre, Stirlingshire, in October 2023. The case has reignited fierce debate over Britain’s asylum system as it emerged the violent predator travelled 4,000 miles through multiple safe countries before claiming protection in the UK.
Social media posts show Nikzad posing outside tourist landmarks including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Cologne Cathedral, wearing designer clothing worth hundreds of pounds. In one image, the migrant sports a North Face puffa jacket and Nike Air Max trainers in an outfit valued at over £400.
Brutal Daylight Attack
The court heard how Nikzad spotted his victim walking alone in Falkirk town centre on October 16, 2023, after she had collected a prescription. Despite the teenager repeatedly telling him she was only 15, he persistently asked for her phone number and made sexual remarks.
“This is a person I have genuinely never seen before,” the victim told jurors at Edinburgh’s High Court during his trial in March.
Nikzad led the schoolgirl behind The Courtyard pub where he subjected her to a violent sexual assault. The terrified teenager was rescued by a passing woman who found her emerging from the lane in a “daze” and “stunned” state.
“I knew something had gone wrong. She came to me for comfort. She said she kept telling the guy she was only 15,” the witness testified.
Detective Inspector Forbes Wilson, from the Forth Valley Public Protection Unit, described it as a “particularly harrowing attack which was carried out during daylight in a busy town centre.
‘Cultural Differences’ Defence
In an extraordinary defence that sparked widespread outrage, Nikzad’s lawyer Janice Green argued he had not been educated about the “significant cultural differences” between the UK and Afghanistan, where child marriage remains prevalent.
“In particular in poorer regions in the north, child marriages are nearly 50 per cent,” Green told the court, suggesting there was a “cultural barrier” between his home country and Scotland.
She claimed the assault was “not a typical stranger rape” because the victim had not explicitly told him “No” and there were language difficulties between them.
Judge John Morris KC dismissed these arguments when sentencing Nikzad to a 12-year extended sentence comprising nine years in custody and three years on licence. He criticised the Home Office for being “less than helpful” in providing information about Nikzad’s asylum status.
Violent Courtroom Outburst
Nikzad erupted in fury when sentenced, repeatedly screaming “Liar!” at the judge while gesticulating wildly. Security guards were forced to handcuff and remove him as Judge Morris hurriedly left the bench.
I appreciate that you don’t accept that you’ve done anything wrong, but the fact remains that you’ve been convicted of an extremely serious sexual offence against a child,” the judge told him through an interpreter.
The Afghan national entered the UK illegally on a small boat in 2021 and had applied for asylum, though his claim lapsed after he was remanded in custody. He will be deported upon completion of his sentence and has been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Protests and Political Fallout
The attack sparked protests outside the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk, where hundreds of concerned locals demonstrated against asylum seekers being housed there. The protests mirrored similar demonstrations at migrant hotels across the UK.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp condemned the case as “sickening”, stating: “This is a sickening case of an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan raping a 15-year-old girl, and then trying to blame his appalling crime on cultural differences.
It is especially galling that he travelled through multiple obviously safe countries where he could easily have claimed asylum if he really needed to,” Philp added.
He noted that “men with Afghan nationality are around 20 times more likely to commit sex offences, so this case is tragically not an isolated one”.
Record Asylum Numbers
The case comes as new figures reveal asylum claims have reached record levels under Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government. A total of 111,084 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest since current records began and 14 per cent more than the previous year.
Since October 2021, 33,970 Afghans have claimed asylum in the UK. In 2024, Afghans were the second most common nationality seeking asylum after Pakistanis, with 15 per cent of small boat arrivals being Afghan nationals.
Migration Watch UK chairman Alp Mehmet said: “The immigration and asylum system is shattered beyond repair. It must be replaced quickly with one that protects our girls and women from lying scumbags like Nikzad.”
Asylum Eligibility Questions
The case has raised serious questions about asylum eligibility. According to Home Office guidance, to qualify for asylum applicants “must have left your country and be unable to go back because you fear persecution.
However, Nikzad’s social media posts showing him living comfortably as a tourist across Italy, Germany and France before arriving in the UK via small boat have prompted fury over why he was not required to claim asylum in the first safe country he reached.
Scottish Tory community safety spokeswoman Sharon Dowey said: “People will be appalled at how this now convicted rapist was able to brazenly make his way illegally across Europe.”
Procurator Fiscal Katrina Parkes said: “This was an appalling, opportunistic attack on a young girl who should have been safe going about her daily business. The victim should be commended for reporting Sadeq Nikzad to the police, ensuring that he has now been held accountable while also protecting others from harm.
The case continues to fuel debate over Britain’s asylum system and the safety of communities housing migrants, with many questioning how someone who travelled through multiple safe European countries as a tourist could qualify for protection in the UK.
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