Man who gave girl drugs before raping her jailed

A man who gave a 16-year-old girl drugs before raping her has been jailed for 12 years.

Riaz Armani, 29, deliberately targeted the vulnerable teenager after encountering her alone in the Hamilton area of Leicester shortly before midnight on 7 September 2023, police said.

Riaz forced the teenager to go back to his home in Harringworth Road, where he gave her cannabis and raped her.

He was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday after being found guilty of two counts of rape following a trial.

The girl was able to leave the address in the early hours and was found by a night shift worker who called the police.

Leicestershire Police said its specialist rape and serious sexual assault team carried out inquiries to identify and locate the suspect, as well as the address where the offences had taken place.

Det Con Jon Williams said: "Throughout her ordeal the victim has shown incredible strength.

"It took extreme courage for her to share the details of what had occurred so that officers and staff could carry out a thorough investigation.

"It has been two and half years since this incident occurred but the victim's determination and persistence to see this perpetrator punished for his actions has stayed with her.

"It is thanks to her that he is now going to spend many years behind bars."

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