‘How dare you’ – Those are the words of a woman who was subjected to a sexual assault and attempted rape by two men in Southampton 2018.

The woman, then 18-years-old, now 21, expressed how the attack had affected her and said directly to her attackers, ‘how dare you’ as the two men were sentenced for a combined total of 16 years today at Southampton Crown Court today (Wednesday 24 November).

The woman’s words came from her Victim Personal Statement which was read out in court:

“These two men have made my existence painful. They have made me feel like if I let my guard down for even a second, something will happen to me. They took away my worth, my privacy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice.

“All I have to say to them is, how dare you.”

Ramdeen Farooqy, aged 25, of Arundel Drive in Harrow, London was found guilty of one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault and sentenced to eight years behind bars.  

Pankaj Bangarh, aged 27, of Halsway in Hayes, Hillingdon, London was found guilty of attempted rape and sexual assault and was also sentenced to eight years.

The pair were found guilty by a jury at Southampton Crown Court earlier this year in June.

The court previously heard that on the evening of Friday 3 August 2018, an 18-year-old woman went out drinking in Southampton with her boyfriend and friends, to celebrate a birthday. The group met and started drinking at a pub earlier in the evening, before going on to Oceana nightclub in Southampton. 

At some point during the evening, the woman’s friends saw her talking to a group of unknown men inside the nightclub, and later, at around 2am on Saturday 4 August, she was seen in the car park, with two of the men. 

Her boyfriend called out to her to stop her getting in the car however she was intoxicated and didn’t appear to recognise him. She then got into the car with the two men, and the car drove off.

Later that morning, (Saturday 4 August 2018), the woman woke to find herself naked in a room at the Winston Hotel in Southampton, with two men unknown to her. The men helped the woman, who was still falling in and out of consciousness, to get dressed and they guided her out of the hotel with assistance from the hotel manager.

The woman contacted her mum to obtain her postcode as she couldn’t remember, and the men then drove her home.

Upon returning home, the woman disclosed to her parents that she had been drinking the evening before and had no recollection of being at Oceana or any of the events that followed, but from the circumstances in which she woke up, she feared she may have been sexually assaulted. 

Supported by her parents, she then contacted Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre for advice.  

The following day, the woman reported what happened to police and an investigation led by officers from Operation Amberstone quickly got underway.

During the investigation, it was found that the men had taken footage of the woman while they sexually assaulted her. She had no idea.

After a two week trial, both Farooqy and Bangarh were found guilty of one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault each.  

Both men stood trial for further sexual assault charges and rape offences, including voyeurism, relating to the same incident, however were found not guilty.

However today, (Wednesday 24 November) the Judge gave them a combined jail term of 16 years.

The woman in this case, now 21-years-old, told the court how this crime had impacted her and what she had to say to the men who had done this to her:  

“All I have to say to them is, how dare you.”

“These two men have made my existence painful. They have made me feel like if I let my guard down for even a second, something will happen to me. They took away my worth, my privacy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice.”

Sexual assault has devastating consequences and we know the long term harm it causes to survivors and the impact it has on their rest of their life.

Detective Constable Sue Hampton from Operation Amberstone said: “This was undoubtedly a traumatic ordeal for the woman and I cannot praise her enough for the courage and bravery she has shown in coming forward and reporting what happened to her and for the strength she has shown throughout the trial and criminal justice process.

“We know it’s incredibly difficult to report incidents of this nature to the police but with her help, we have been able bring these two men to justice today.

“I really hope that this case shows people that no matter the circumstances, Hampshire Constabulary is committed to supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault and we will do everything we can to identify offenders and put them in front of a court.

“In cases such as these, we work in partnership with the Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) Service, Yellow Door to ensure expert support is available to victims throughout investigations. I know from speaking with the victim that the ISVA assigned to her helped her immensely through the process and we are really proud and lucky to work with support agencies like Yellow Door who help and support survivors.

“We hope that the strength of this partnership working alongside convictions like this, encourage victims to come forward and report their experiences to us so that we can identify offenders and do everything we can to stop them from doing it again to someone else.”

For more information go to: https://www.yellowdoor.org.uk

If you’ve been the victim, please report rape or sexual assault as soon as possible. Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we’d sooner hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe. If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK. There are a range of places to get support, advice and medical help.

You can speak to a number of organisations in confidence and what you tell them won’t be shared with the police unless you ask for it to be. For further information go to:  

https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/support-for-victims-of-rape-and-sexual-assault/‍