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A Turkish Kurdish asylum seeker was convicted of rape at Stafford Crown Court on Monday (January 12) and sentenced to seven years in prison. At the end of the sentencing notes, the judge said whether he would serve out that sentence in the UK is "a matter for others to decide."

A 27-year-old Kurdish asylum seeker, named as Mehmet O., was sentenced to seven years in jail at Stafford Crown Court on Monday (January 12). He was convicted of the rape of an 18-year-old girl in a park in Tamworth last summer.

Mehmet O. and the girl had met via a social media app, reported British news sources, including the TV channel ITV. Via that app, they sent a number of messages to each other, some of which were later used by the prosecution. The rape is reported to have taken place just days after meeting on the app.

The asylum seeker arrived in Britain a few weeks prior to the attack, via a small boat across the Channel.

'A man of intelligence' with a 'history of complex trauma'

In sentencing remarks issued by the judge, John Edwards, Mehmet O. is described as "plainly a man of intelligence." The judge cites Mehmet O.’s training as a veterinary technician as well as his desire to continue his education and better his prospects in the UK as being a sign of that intelligence.

Although the judge acknowledged that he believed Mehmet O. had a "history of complex trauma from your time in Turkey," and had "endured significant hardship" and "witnessed extreme violence," including being "quite literally grabbed from the middle of the sea."

The judge added that Mehmet O. found himself to be "isolated and lonely" in the UK, but that could not prevent his conviction for the "grave offenses" he committed. Mehmet O. has also been placed on the sex offenders register for life. The judge commented after hearing the case that he believed Mehmet O was "determined to have his way" with the victim.

Victim impact statement: 'Why did you choose me to completely destroy?'

The judge described the woman who was raped by Mehmet O. as "naïve and easily led," saying that she was "plainly attracted to you and was anxious to befriend you." The judge said that Mehmet O. "took advantage of that kindness." After hearing the prosecution’s arguments, including the text of messages Mehmet O. sent to the woman after the rape, where he reportedly apologized for the incident, the judge said he believes that Mehmet O. "appreciated the boundaries" and yet still "betrayed [the woman’s] trust and those many kindnesses she extended to you."

For her part, the woman in an impact statement read in court, the woman described herself as a "survivor of rape." She added that "no words can explain what he put me through. He completely changed me as a person," reported ITV. She then said that she felt "completely destroyed" by what happened to her, saying she doesn’t think she will "ever get through it."

The woman added that although it had been almost a year since the rape occurred, "it still feels like yesterday." She then asked: "Why me, why did you choose me to completely destroy when all I did was show kindness and empathy towards you?"

'Anxiety and depression'

In mitigation for the crime, the defense, led by Joseph McKenna, reportedly told the court that the defendant was suffering from "anxiety and depression." The jury, consisting of seven women and five men, convicted the defendant, however, reportedly after hearing how the victim had screamed for him to stop as she tried to struggle free.

File photo used as illustration: Some of the messages sent from the defendant to the victim were used to convict him in court | Photo: picture-alliance

The prosecution said that the messages he sent after the event showed he was aware of what he had done and that he had expressed guilt. One of those messages reportedly read: "I am really sorry, I didn’t actually want to do this, but I couldn’t stop myself." Another reportedly stated, "I am sorry for trying to force you to have sex," reported ITV. The prosecution described these messages as a "full and complete admission" of the offenses.

However, the UK tabloid newspaper The Sun reported that Mehmet O. claimed that his messages had been mistranslated and that was not what he was saying. The judge mentions that Mehmet O. wrote in a letter to the judge that he was "filled with shame and never intended to cause [the victim] harm." The judge commented that Mehmet O. had indeed caused "great harm."

The judge added that although he pleaded guilty, he had shown "no real remorse or insight into the harm you have done."

CPS gathered forensic evidence for conviction

In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that they had "worked closely with Staffordshire Police to build a strong case, including forensic evidence about injuries she received, CCTV and the victim’s courageous testimony, which ultimately led to his conviction."

Mehmet O. is described as being part of the Kurdish minority in Turkey, which can be subject to discrimination within Turkey. It is as yet unclear whether or not he could be deported to Turkey before the end of his sentence. The judge said that was "for others to determine."

In August last year, the British government strengthened their deportation laws, allowing for the immediate deportation of convicted foreign criminals when sanctioned by the government. That law change followed a previous change that allowed foreign prisoners to be deported after they had served just 30 percent of their jail term.

Deporting foreign national offenders

Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a press statement that the new power "will get foreign national offenders out of our prisons, saving money for British taxpayers and protecting the public from dangerous criminals."

Britain's Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has already changed the law to enact faster deportations for foreign national offenders in the UK | Photo: Reuters

Mahmood added that her government was taking "radical action to deport foreign criminals, as part of our Plan for Change." She said that their message was clear: "If you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing."

At that time (August 10, 2025), Home Office figures showed that the government deported almost 5,200 foreign national offenders since taking office in July 2024. This, they said, was an increase of 14 percent compared to the same 12 months prior to taking office. They added that they had invested five million pounds (around 5.7 million euros) to deploy specialist staff to almost 80 jails with one clear mission of speeding up removals.

In that press release, the British government said that foreign offenders made up around 12 percent of the total prison population, and a prison place costs an average of around 54,000 pounds a year (around 62,300 euros).

Deportation 'at the earliest opportunity'

According to the government, the possibility of deporting foreign national offenders "will apply to prisoners serving fixed-term, or determinate, sentences and discretion to not use the measure on a case-by-case basis will be retained."

For instance, they said that where there is clear evidence a prisoner is planning further crimes against UK interests, such as posing a threat to national security, they will not be released.

The measures would apply to all foreign national offenders already in custody, as well as those newly sentenced, they said in August.

A Home Office spokesperson told the British press: "We will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws. We are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system so we can scale up deportations. All Foreign National Offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity."