Sheraz Malik guilty of raping teenager in Sutton park attack

Sheraz Malik was unanimously convicted of raping an 18-year-old in Sutton Lawn park after a five-day trial at Birmingham Crown Court. The 28-year-old, of Bath Street in Sutton-in-Ashfield, was found guilty of two counts of rape and cleared of a third count after jurors deliberated for around three hours.

The attack took place in Sutton Lawn park, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, on Sunday 29 June 2025. Jurors heard that the victim had been in the park with a friend before being introduced to Malik and a group of other older men, and that she was first raped by another member of the group before Malik led her to a secluded area and raped her again.

Malik denied the allegations and told the court the sex was consensual. The jury, made up of five men and seven women, rejected that account and returned unanimous guilty verdicts. He followed the proceedings through a Pashto interpreter.

Nottinghamshire Police said Malik was linked to the offence by DNA and arrested in Newcastle during the investigation. Officers also said their inquiries to locate the other identified suspect in the case were continuing, underlining that the investigation did not end with the verdict.

Malik was remanded into custody and will be sentenced later. After the trial concluded, it could also be reported that he is a Pakistani national and asylum seeker who had lived in Italy, Germany and France before coming to the UK. A reporting restriction in place at Nottingham Crown Court from September 2025 until the end of the trial had prevented any mention of his immigration status until the case was finished.