A survivor of a grooming gang rapist shared her harrowing experience after the perpetrator, Anthony Anantharajah, was sentenced to 13 years in jail with an additional seven on license. Anantharajah, along with two other men, Abalzaq Salih and Saif Kahya, targeted teenage girls with alcohol at house parties in Plymouth, where they sexually assaulted them. The abuse came to light after a girl reported a series of parties in 2017, inspired by the BBC drama “Three Girls.”
During the trial, the prosecutor highlighted the power imbalance between the defendants, who were in their 20s and 30s, and the young girls, aged between 14 and 16. He described how the men exploited the vulnerable girls by providing them with alcohol, money, and drugs before sexually assaulting them. Anantharajah’s victim, who was just 16 at the time of the assault, shared the lasting impact it had on her life, expressing her fear, disgust, and loss of respect for herself.
Despite the perpetrators denying the charges and claiming the victims fabricated the allegations, Devon and Cornwall Police, with the support of the victims, gathered enough evidence to build a case against the men under Operation Garcia. Plymouth Commander, Temporary Chief Superintendent Scott Bradley, commended the bravery of the survivors for coming forward and supporting the investigation, emphasizing the importance of their testimonies in achieving justice.
Duncan Stanway, Barnardo’s assistant director in the South West, acknowledged the trauma endured by the young women who were sexually exploited at a young age, praising their courage in reporting the crimes and providing evidence for the case. The sentencing of the perpetrators, while bringing some sense of justice, marks the beginning of the survivors’ journey towards healing and moving forward with their lives.
