A 19-year-old girl has bravely waived her anonymity to reveal the horrific assault she suffered at the hands of an Iranian migrant who arrived in the UK on a small boat.
Oliwia Zawislak, 19, had left a night out early as she was working the next day when Abdolrahman Banafsha approached her on August 31 last year.
The Iranian migrant, 20, had walked past the teenager, at around midnight, turned around and began following her at a distance until she tripped over in a side street.
Banafsha picked her up with a tight grip, and in a panic, Oliwia tried to walk away, insisting she had a boyfriend and needed to go home.
The teenager, who had been out with her mother and friends, walked by a nearby pub and asked to use their toilets, but they told her that the establishment was shut.
The asylum seeker, who arrived in Britain via a small boat in March 2024, then grabbed the university student, dragging her to a house in Cheltenham.
The brave teen ran to the bathroom once inside the predator’s home in a bid to plan her escape.
However, Banafsha pushed her to the floor and began trying to kiss her ‘all over’ her face and neck as well as touching her legs and breasts over her clothing.
Recalling the assault, the 19-year-old told of how Banafsha ‘forcefully’ pushing her into the property gave her an indication that ‘something bad was going to happen’.
Oliwia Zawislak (pictured) has bravely waived her anonymity to reveal she had been sexually assaulted by an Iranian migrant last August
Abdolrahman Banafsha, 20, (pictured) had arrived in Britain by small boat from Iran, claiming his life was at risk in his home country
‘I tried to come up with a plan in my head where I’d use the bathroom and then just completely went out of the house,’ she said.
‘But as I tried to run out, he pushed me to the floor, and he had both of my wrists pinned back and onto the floor.
‘I started to panic because I realised I couldn’t get away in that moment of time. I was just telling myself to prepare for the worst.
‘He kept trying to kiss me all over my face, and my neck, and he had his hands underneath the top I was wearing and was trying to get into my jeans.’
Realising she still had her legs free, she ‘kicked him with all the force and energy’ she could muster before rushing out of the property and calling her boyfriend.
Later that day, Banafsha was arrested and eventually sentenced to 27 months in a young offender’s institution after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault.
The asylum seeker, who claimed his life was at risk in Iran, had been living in Home Office accommodation outside of Gloucestershire and had been staying with a friend in Cheltenham for the weekend.
The horrifying attack had a long-lasting impact on Oliwia, who ‘no longer feels like the same person’ both emotionally and physically.
Following the ordeal, the teenager completely changed her look and also struggled to be touched by her long-time boyfriend or be by herself.
‘Any time I had work I’d have to have my boyfriend to pick me up or take me to work because I didn’t want to walk on my own,’ she said. ‘I struggled being home alone.
‘I don’t think I’m the same person that I was, not just mentally but physically I died my hair black and I got a bunch of tattoos. I just didn’t want to look like that anymore.
‘My boyfriend has been really good, supportive and helping me trying to heal from this trauma.’
Banafsha was charged with attempted rape and later appeared at court for a trial, which began on September 22.
During the first day of his trial, CCTV of Oliwia fleeing his address was played to the court along with a video interview her interview with police.
The next day, the Iranian migrant entered guilty pleas for two counts of sexual assault which were accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service, Oliwia and the police.
Banafsha then followed the teen at a distance as she walked home from a night out with her mother and friends
He then grabbed her tightly before dragging her back to a property in Gloucestershire and sexually assaulting her
Until this day Oliwia ‘can’t understand’ why Banafsha kept on assaulting her when she shouted and told him to stop.
In mitigation, Banafsha’s defence barrister said that he had changed his mind and pleaded guilty.
He also said it was a pity that the victim did not alert the woman she spoke to at the pub when asking to use their toilets.
His Honour Judge Julian Lambert’s sentencing described the incident as ‘an utterly terrifying ordeal’
‘[The] victim impact is most profound. People often simply can’t put something like this behind them.
‘Assessing culpability, I note an element of predatory about you. I found that from the way in which you were stalking the streets and your persistence with your victim.’
Judge Lambert sentenced Banafsha to 27 months in a young offender’s institution for both counts, to run concurrently.
Banafsha will also be placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for 10 years and must notify the police of his address during this time.
Oliwia, who has since bravely waived her anonymity in a bid to inspire other women who have been abused to tell their stories, says she still doesn’t understand why Banafsha continued to follow her out of the property.
‘He just still continued to follow me as if he wasn’t done with what he was doing,’ she explained.
‘I just don’t understand how me screaming and telling him to stop wasn’t enough.’
The probation service believed the asylum seeker was a high risk of harm to the public, particularly to females.
Now Oliwia hopes her story will inspire others to come forward to share their own experiences.
‘If I didn’t have all these people around me telling me to report it I would have not done it,’ she said.
‘It is very valuable for me to put it out there and to actually take the step.
‘A lot of women don’t do it and I think it’s important that more women start to do it if they’ve been through it.’
Oliwia managed to flee after kicking off Banafsha with all her strength. She hopes her story will inspire others to share their own experiences
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Helen Goode said: ‘The victim has been so brave throughout this entire process, and I thank her for working with us.
‘Everyone should be able to go about their daily lives without being targeted by perpetrators who want to commit crimes for their own sexual gratification.’
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘Any foreign national convicted of a criminal offence is immediately referred to the Home Office for deportation.
‘Under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more.’
To report a rape or other sexual offences you can call 999 in an emergency, or report it online or by calling 101.
