Description
An Iranian rapist, Kasra Esmaelie, 28, serving a lengthy sentence at HMP Isle of Wight and slated for deportation upon release, was caught with hidden mobile phones in his cell twice within two days.
Esmaelie, formerly of Westminster, pleaded guilty at IW Magistrates’ Court on January 23 to two counts of possessing a mobile phone in prison.
The court heard he had been served deportation papers and was due for removal from the UK this year, but only after completing his sentences—not until at least 2031.
Prosecutor Serena Edwards said Esmaelie was sentenced to 13 years at Reading Crown Court in June 2023 for his role in the 2021 kidnap and rape of a woman in Slough. The victim endured a “horrendous” attack after Esmaelie and another man injected her with heroin before raping and sexually assaulting her in a public car park.
Ms. Edwards added he also received a concurrent five-year sentence in 2021 for indecent child image offenses.
After his transfer to Parkhurst prison, officers searched his cell on July 2 last year and found a mobile phone and charger in a drawer's false bottom. Two days later, on July 3, another phone was discovered in a night light.
Defender Henry Martin noted Esmaelie complied with searches, made no obstruction attempts, and admitted possession both times.
Magistrates imposed two concurrent eight-week sentences, to run alongside his existing terms, plus a £157 victim surcharge upon release—though enforcement was uncertain due to his expected deportation to Iran.