The victim told the court she believed she was going to die during the ordeal. Giving evidence behind a screen, she said: "It wasn't consensual... they have ruined my life."
The United Nations last month described Afghanistan as a graveyard for human rights that enforces gender apartheid using torture and corporal punishment. Women and girls aged over 11 are excluded from education and banned from most forms of paid employment.
The new powers would allow the UK government to label state-backed groups as terrorist organisations, creating new criminal offences for people who support or promote groups formally listed as state-supported threats.
Statistics show that between April 2019 and March 2025, 104 children died with temporary accommodation recorded as a contributing factor to their vulnerability, ill-health or death.
A BBC reporter, posing as a former student wanting to remain in the UK, met one of those advisers, Tanisa Khan. For a fee, she offered to provide evidence to support the fake claim that he was gay.
Up to 21,000 asylum seekers who have waited for a year for their claims to be processed could be allowed to enter the jobs market so they can support themselves, the Home Office has said, as part of a package of measures to be announced on Thursday. As the government seeks to empty asylum hotels, claimants who break the law, work illegally or are found to have enough assets to live without support will from June be ejected and lose their support payments.
The Home Office says the changes, due to take effect in June, will restrict accommodation and support payments to "those who genuinely need it". Ministers say the new rules will also remove assistance from asylum seekers who work illegally or break the law.
The board employs more than 50 social workers to conduct the assessments, but some children have said they are out to get them. The report finds that in some cases the process has led to children's deteriorating mental health, including self-harm and suicidal ideation, and that going through a Home Office age assessment is far more severe and traumatic than a comparable experience with a local authority social worker.
Nearly 60,000 unauthorised migrants and convicted criminals have been removed or deported from the UK since Labour took office, the Home Office has said. The announcement came amid claims that the government was promoting harmful stereotypes by equating migration with criminality. Officials said the figure was the highest number in a decade. The department said 15,200 people who were in the UK illegally were removed since the 2024 election a 45% increase on the previous 19 months.
Under Monday's changes, adults and accompanied children claiming asylum will receive a 30-month period of protection if it is granted. At a 30-month review refugees with a continuing need of sanctuary will have their protection renewed, while those whose countries are now deemed safe will be expected to return home.