A ‘dangerous sexual predator’ who raped a vulnerable woman then molested a teenage girl on two buses was a small boat migrant, it has been revealed.
Rahmat Qalander, 23, originally from Afghanistan but living in Lancashire was jailed for 10 years and will be deported once he completes his sentence.
He was found guilty of rape and indecent assault after a trial at Preston Crown Court and sentenced by Judge Darren Preston yesterday.
Giving him a 10-year term, two-thirds of which will be spent in custody, the judge classed him as a ‘dangerous offender’.
Qalander came to Britain as a small boat migrant, it can be revealed.
He arrived across the Channel on an unknown date before committing his crimes, it is understood. It is not known whether he claimed asylum.
Rahmat Qalander was found guilty of rape and indecent assault after a trial at Preston Crown Court and sentenced by Judge Darren Preston yesterday
After sentencing, Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Denson, of Lancashire Police, praised the victims for coming forward.
She said: ‘Qalander is clearly a dangerous sexual predator who targeted lone and vulnerable young women to carry out his offending.
‘I would like to commend the victims in this case for their bravery in disclosing what happened to them and for having the courage to go through the court process.
‘I am pleased that justice has been served for them and for the wider community who will be protected from this dangerous offender for many years.’
The court heard Qalander, from Nelson, Lancashire, who had no previous convictions, first struck on the top deck of an X43 double decker bus service from Burnley to Manchester on February 1.
The court heard he sat next to his 23-year-old victim upstairs before forcing her to go to the back of the bus with him, where he raped her.
Pictured: Preston Crown Court. The court heard Qalander, from Nelson, Lancashire, who had no previous convictions, first struck on the top deck of an X43 double decker bus service from Burnley to Manchester on February 1
In a statement after he was locked up, Lancashire Police said: ‘He then got off the bus in Manchester and the victim, who a number of vulnerabilities, reported what had happened to the driver and police were called.’
But Qalander was not caught straightaway and struck again on February 6, assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Nelson, Lancs.
A Lancashire Police spokesman said detectives finally tracked him down using CCTV ‘which led to him being identified and arrested’.
He added: ‘We had financial evidence of him getting a ticket for that bus journey and we recovered clothing from his home address which matched that described by victims.’
The Home Office have been contacted for comment about Qalander’s legal status as a migrant.
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