A man has been convicted of raping a young woman in a Nottinghamshire park.
Sheraz Malik, now aged 28, met the girl on Sutton Lawn, Sutton-in-Ashfield, on the evening of Sunday 29 June 2025.
The victim, who was 18 at the time of the attack, had been at the park with a friend before being introduced to Malik and a group of other older men.
A jury heard she was first raped by another member of the group, before being led by Malik to a secluded area and raped for a second time.
During the course of a major investigation by Nottinghamshire Police, Malik was linked to the offence by his DNA and arrested in Newcastle.
He later gave a series of no-comment answers to detectives, before claiming in court to have had a consensual sexual encounter with the victim.
After a five-day trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Malik, of Bath Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, was today (Monday) found guilty of two counts of rape.
He was cleared of a third count of rape by the jury.
Malik, a Pakistani national who followed proceedings through a Pashto interpreter, was remanded into custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
Detective Inspector Nicole Milner said:
“This was a large-scale investigation with multiple lines of enquiry. This remains a priority investigation for Nottinghamshire Police, and work is under way to locate a further outstanding suspect.
“As is always the case for investigations of this nature, there are many people involved, and they have all played a part in bringing Malik to justice.
“I particularly want to acknowledge the work of Detective Constable Malgorzata Kacprzycka and Detective Sergeant Barry Haines, who have been crucial in bringing Malik to justice.
“Above all, I also want to acknowledge the bravery and resilience of the victim.
“She has shown great courage throughout and helped us to build a very strong case against Malik, whose version of events lacked credibility from the start.
“As a result of her evidence, the jury was able to see through his lies and to convict him on two counts of rape.
“We will now continue with our relentless pursuit of the other suspect identified in this case.”
