Bolton: Man in court accused of rape of two teenage girls

Sultani Bakatash, 28, is alleged to have sexually assaulted the girls in a flat in Bolton.

He appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, following the brief hearing via an interpreter of the Dari language, spoken in Afghanistan.

Bakatash, an Afghani national, was arrested in the early hours of Sunday, December 7.

The court heard Bakatash has been in the UK for two years and has been granted indefinite leave to remain, with his mother, two brothers and two sisters also living in the UK.

Gabrielle Bann-Khellaf, prosecuting, opposed an application for bail made on behalf of the defendant by his solicitor, who refused to give her name to a reporter from the Press Association.

Mary Cash, chairwoman of the bench, refused the bail application.

She told the defendant: “These are indictable only offences, so we are sending your case to the Crown Court at Bolton on the January 13, 2026.”

He has been charged with two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16, one count of sexual assault, and one count of assault by penetration.

Both of the girls are now being supported by specialist teams while detectives investigate, the force said.

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Chief Superintendent Helen Critchley, Bolton district commander for GMP said: “This is a deeply concerning report, and our priority is supporting the two young girls and their families at this traumatic time.

“We have acted quickly since this was reported to us in the last 48 hours, and we’ve been using all available resources to understand what has happened and help this case progress through court.

“We remain firmly committed to protecting young girls in Bolton and across Greater Manchester and to help people feel safe in their neighbourhood.

“I ask that the public continue to support us while we do whatever is necessary to support the girls and to get this case solved.

“As criminal proceedings are now active, I urge the public not to speculate so that the legal process can take its proper course and the dignity of the girls is maintained.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police directly online or via 101 quoting incident 3573 of 06/12/2025.

Details can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.