21 January 2026
A woman who claims to have been raped by two strangers in a park has denied she lied about the alleged attack because she was ’embarrassed’, a court heard.
Sheraz Malik, 28, is accused of raping the woman, then 18, in Sutton Lawn Park in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, on June 29 last year.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had shared two bottles of vodka with a male friend before meeting Malik and a group of other men.
She told Birmingham Crown Court that she and her friend joined the group, whom she had not met before, as they sat nearby in the park.
Her friend left her alone with the group of men while he went to meet with someone and had asked them to ‘look after her’, the trial heard.
However, the woman claimed she was raped twice by two different men while she was alone with the group.
Nicolas Corsellis KC, prosecuting, said the alleged victim was ‘alone, drunk and was obviously a vulnerable person’ when she was attacked.
The first man allegedly sexually assaulted her as she relieved herself in an ‘isolated’ area of the park, the court was told.
Sheraz Malik, 28, is accused of raping the woman, then 18, in Sutton Lawn Park in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, on June 29 last year
The woman has claimed she was raped by one man in an ‘isolated’ area of the park before allegedly being assaulted by Malik
The woman then returned to the group before being taken away to another ‘secluded’ location and being allegedly raped by Malik.
Malik, who listened to proceedings in the dock with the help of a Pakistani Pashto interpreter, denies three counts of rape.
When cross-examined by Simon Eckersley, defending, the woman, who was shielded from view by a screen, denied that any part of the encounter was consensual.
She was questioned as to why she had gone for a walk with Malik after she had just allegedly been raped by the first man.
The woman, giving evidence via video link, said: ‘I didn’t have nobody else with me. I was scared, I felt scared of saying no.’
She agreed with Malik’s barrister that she could have shouted to passers-by but did not, and that she also did not try to flee.
The complainant had previously lied about being raped by a family member, the court heard.
Two years later, she also told police she had been raped by another man, but withdrew the claim.
Mr Eckersley asked: ‘Have you claimed falsely the second man [Malik] raped you because you were embarrassed about having consensual sex with him?’
The complainant responded: ‘I wasn’t embarrassed. It is true. It did happen. It wasn’t consensual.’
She denied she was ‘flirting’ with Malik and said she gave him her Snapchat details after the alleged attack because she felt uncomfortable.
‘After the sex took place, you [and Malik] walked back together. And you said you enjoyed the sex and you really liked him?’ Mr Eckersley said.
The complainant replied: ‘I never said that. He’s a liar.’
Mr Corsellis asked the woman if there was anything she found attractive about Malik and if him telling her she was beautiful made her want to have sex with him.
The complainant replied: ‘No. Nothing.’
Asked by Mr Corsellis if she had wanted to have sex with Malik, the complainant said: ‘No I didn’t. I didn’t want him to. I didn’t want anything.’
The trial continues.