A Birmingham man who used a flatmate-finder application to lure an 18-year-old woman to his home before subjecting her to a horrific sexual assault has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Predatory Trap Set on Roomies App
Mirza Begg, aged 34, of Coventry Road, Small Heath, contacted the "extremely vulnerable" teenager through the Roomies app last year. He promised she could live at his flat for free, presenting himself as recently divorced and seeking a housemate.
After borrowing a relative's car to collect her, Begg took the woman to his Birmingham home. Once inside, he deliberately showed her a cache of weapons, including knives, a sword, and bullets, to intimidate and subdue her.
A Brutal and Sustained Attack
Prosecutor Joshua Purser told Birmingham Crown Court that Begg then launched a violent assault. He strangled the victim, threatened to kill her, and raped her. The court heard the woman fought back repeatedly, but Begg swore at her and told her to "deal with it."
He was convicted of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, intentional strangulation, making threats with a bladed weapon, and assault. Begg claimed all contact was consensual, but the jury rejected his account.
"There was not a single moment of consensual sexual activity," Mr Purser stated, adding that the app was used as a "deliberate trap" to bring a woman into his flat with no witnesses.
Rescue and Sentencing
The victim was eventually able to message a friend, who alerted the police. Officers arrived to rescue her after she had been held against her will.
Sentencing Begg on Friday, December 5, Judge Simon Drew KC said the offences were "very serious" and involved deliberate planning. He noted Begg had targeted someone "almost half your age."
Begg, who has previous convictions for battery and theft, refused to cooperate with probation officers preparing a pre-sentence report. He appeared at the hearing via prison videolink.
Judge Drew ordered Begg to register as a sex offender for life. He must serve two-thirds of his 12-year sentence in custody before being considered for release on licence.
