Rapist jailed for 18 years after attacks on girls

A rapist has been jailed for attacks on young girls during a campaign of abuse that also included threatening a 12-year-old into sharing indecent images.

Gurpreet Randhawa, 21, from Wolverhampton, raped two 15-year-old girls he had persuaded to meet him, raping one of them on three separate occasions last year, police said.

In the third incident, he drove her to a car park in the city and "grabbed her by the throat" when she tried to resist his attack, the West Midlands force added.

Randhawa, who went by the name Ziggy, was jailed for 18 years at Wolverhampton Crown Court after admitting in earlier hearings four counts of rape and other offences.

Randhawa's crimes were all carried out between July 2024 and September 2025.

At court hearings last year, he admitted in addition to the rapes two counts of taking indecent images of a child and two offences of sharing indecent images and engaging in sexual communication.

He used aliases to contact a 12-year-old through social media, starting up sexualised conversations.

"He sent inappropriate videos and pictures of himself and threatened to harm the young girl if she didn't too," police said. "He even encouraged her to ask friends to do the same."

His offences included filming and sharing footage of an attack.

During sentencing on Thursday, Randhawa was added to the sex offenders register for life.

West Midlands Police said it was alerted after a victim "showed real courage to inform her school".

Det Con Mark Tallis said: "Randhawa targeted and exploited these young girls for his own sexual desires. He persuaded two of the girls to meet him and raped them.

"These were horrific experiences for the girls, as it was for the 12-year-old girl who was threatened if she did not reciprocate his appalling actions in sharing indecent images.

"It was through the courage of the girls in coming forward and telling us about these awful crimes we were able to convict Randhawa for his deplorable behaviour."

West Midlands Police urged anyone who had been targeted by Randhawa to contact the force, adding "We have specialist staff who will listen and support you."

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