An Afghan asylum seeker who raped a teenage girl in a park has been jailed for nine years.

Rapulla Ahmadze approached the 'vulnerable' victim in Moray, Scotland in August last year after making 'intimidating remarks'.

The girl, who was not known to the 21-year-old, was then subjected to unwanted kissing and touching before being dragged to an area of bushes in Cooper Park, Elgin.

He then subjected her to a 'shocking and violent rape', before later claiming he had had consensual sex with the victim. 

Ahmadze was aged around 20 at the time of the attack, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.

He was previously convicted of rape and a separate charge of threatening or abusive behaviour.

Judge Thomas Welsh KC told Ahmadze he had been found guilty by the jury on the basis he acted 'in a predatory manner'.

Judge Welsh added: 'You took advantage of a vulnerable teenager who was unknown to you, and you raped her in shocking and violent rape on rough ground in Cooper Park.

'What happened to her that night must have been a horrific ordeal.'

The judge said the jury had disbelieved Ahmadze's claim that sex had been consensual.

Judge Welsh continued: 'The harm which you have done is profound and long lasting.'

He said Ahmadze's actions were 'motivated by a brutal desire to take sex irrespective of the consent of the victim'.

The judge said the law expects Ahmadze would be deported at the end of his sentence, but added this was a 'matter for the Home Office'.

He imposed a sentence of nine years in jail, backdated to August 2024, and Ahmadze was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Ahmadze, who is also known as Rafiullah Ahmadzai, was earlier convicted of pulling the victim from a bench in the park on August 4, 2024, kissing her and restraining her.

The charge stated he had walked her to a children's play area in the park, where he touched her sexually, before taking her to an area of bushes where he pulled down her lower clothes, seized hold of her legs and raped her. She was then subjected to an oral rape.

Defending, Shaun Alexander told the court he did not intend to minimise the seriousness of the crime Ahmadze had been convicted of.

But he added Ahmadze had continued to maintain 'what occurred was consensual'.

He asked the judge to take into account Ahmadze's age and maturity at the time of the offence.

Ahmadze was born in Afghanistan, a 'country ravaged by war', he said.

Mr Alexander stated: 'I submit that he did not have the childhood that most young people in this country have.'

He said Ahmadze was conscripted by his uncle to assist with the Afghan National Army, but both he and his uncle were captured by the Taliban.

His uncle was killed but Ahmadze escaped, during which time he was shot in the arm, the court was told.

Mr Alexander added Ahmadze left Afghanistan in 2022 and undertook an 'arduous' journey which brought him to the UK in 2023, where he sought asylum.

The lawyer said Ahmadze had endured 'significant adverse experiences' in his life.

Following the sentencing, Police Scotland voiced their commitment to making their service 'trauma informed'.

Detective Inspector Sam Buchan said: 'Rapualla Ahmadze is a predatory individual who took advantage of a vulnerable young woman for his own gratification.

'He will now face the consequences of his actions. We know this was a deeply worrying incident for many people in the local area and I hope this conviction and sentence sends a strong message that sexual violence has no place in our communities.

'Police Scotland is committed to our role to help create a society where women and girls live free from violence, abuse, exploitation and harassment. This is also reflected in our ongoing commitment to actively pursue perpetrators of violence against women and girls and ensure they are brought to justice.

'We will continue to work with our valued partners across criminal justice, and support services, to improve the opportunities and support for women to report.'