This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdd2rld9mj2o
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Rochdale gang guilty of raping and abusing girls for five years | Rochdale gang guilty of raping and abusing girls for five years |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Mohammed Zahid, who led the gang, was known as "Boss Man" and worked on Rochdale market | Mohammed Zahid, who led the gang, was known as "Boss Man" and worked on Rochdale market |
| Seven men have been found guilty of sexually exploiting two teenage girls who were repeatedly raped and assaulted in Rochdale for five years. | Seven men have been found guilty of sexually exploiting two teenage girls who were repeatedly raped and assaulted in Rochdale for five years. |
| The gang was convicted of various sexual offences against the girls between 2001 and 2006. | |
| The victims, known as Girl A and Girl B, were groomed from the age of 13 and treated as "sex slaves", being expected to "have sex with the men whenever and wherever they wanted", the trial heard. | The victims, known as Girl A and Girl B, were groomed from the age of 13 and treated as "sex slaves", being expected to "have sex with the men whenever and wherever they wanted", the trial heard. |
| Girl A told the jury she could have been targeted by more than 200 men, while Girl B said social workers had regarded her as "a prostitute" from the age of 10. | |
| Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that both girls had "deeply troubled home lives" and were plied with drugs, alcohol and cigarettes and given places to stay by the men, who worked on the town's market or as taxi drivers. | |
| The prosecution said the girls were "children passed around for sex, abused, degraded and then discarded", adding: "They became sex slaves." | |
| Girl A told the jury she may have been preyed on by hundreds of men as her phone number was swapped, but said "there was that many it was hard to keep count". | |
| She told local children's services in 2004 that she was "hanging around" with groups of older men, drinking and taking cannabis, the court heard. | |
| Girl B, who was living in a children's home when she came into contact with the men on the market, said police and social workers knew what was going on but "weren't concerned enough to do anything about it". | Girl B, who was living in a children's home when she came into contact with the men on the market, said police and social workers knew what was going on but "weren't concerned enough to do anything about it". |
| "It was in my file, when I looked it up. I read it," the woman, now aged in her 30s, told the court. | "It was in my file, when I looked it up. I read it," the woman, now aged in her 30s, told the court. |
| "I was picked up by the police for loitering and prostituting from the age of 10." | "I was picked up by the police for loitering and prostituting from the age of 10." |
| Three of the abusers, Mohammed Zahid, 64, the leader of the gang, Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, and Kasir Bashir, 50, were stallholders on the market. | |
| Father-of-three Zahid, who was known as Boss Man, gave free underwear from his lingerie stall to the girls, who did not know each other. | Father-of-three Zahid, who was known as Boss Man, gave free underwear from his lingerie stall to the girls, who did not know each other. |
| Mohammed Shahzad, Mushtaq Ahmed and Kasir Bashir denied the offences against them | |
| He also gifted them with money, alcohol and food in return for the expectation of regular sex with him and his friends, the court heard. | He also gifted them with money, alcohol and food in return for the expectation of regular sex with him and his friends, the court heard. |
| In 2016, Zahid was jailed for five years in an earlier grooming gang case after he engaged in sexual activity in 2006 with a 15-year-old girl who he met when she visited his stall to buy tights for school. | In 2016, Zahid was jailed for five years in an earlier grooming gang case after he engaged in sexual activity in 2006 with a 15-year-old girl who he met when she visited his stall to buy tights for school. |
| Bashir did not attend the current trial after he absconded while on bail before the trial got under way. | Bashir did not attend the current trial after he absconded while on bail before the trial got under way. |
| It can now also be reported that Mohammed Shahzad, 44, Naheem Akram, 48, and Nisar Hussain, 41, were remanded in custody in January. | |
| Police received intelligence that the three taxi drivers were planning to leave the UK and had already paid a deposit for their transport. | |
| Nisar Hussain, Roheez Khan and Naheem Akram have all been convicted following the trial | Nisar Hussain, Roheez Khan and Naheem Akram have all been convicted following the trial |
| The seventh defendant Roheez Khan, 39, also featured in another previous Rochdale grooming trial in 2013. | The seventh defendant Roheez Khan, 39, also featured in another previous Rochdale grooming trial in 2013. |
| He was ailed for six-and-a-half years as one of five men convicted of sexually exploiting a "profoundly vulnerable" 15-year-old girl in 2008 and 2009. | He was ailed for six-and-a-half years as one of five men convicted of sexually exploiting a "profoundly vulnerable" 15-year-old girl in 2008 and 2009. |
| During the latest trial, a second jury was required after concerns that one original juror - thought to be an ex-police officer - might be racist. | During the latest trial, a second jury was required after concerns that one original juror - thought to be an ex-police officer - might be racist. |
| The prosecution did not oppose the application and a second jury was sworn in shortly after. | The prosecution did not oppose the application and a second jury was sworn in shortly after. |
| Jurors deliberated for three weeks before delivering their unanimous guilty verdicts. | Jurors deliberated for three weeks before delivering their unanimous guilty verdicts. |
| Convictions | Convictions |
| Zahid, of, Station Road, Crumpsall, was convicted of raping Girl A and Girl B, offences of indecency with a child and procuring a child to have sex | Zahid, of, Station Road, Crumpsall, was convicted of raping Girl A and Girl B, offences of indecency with a child and procuring a child to have sex |
| Ahmed, of Corona Avenue, Oldham, and Bashir, of Napier Street East, Oldham, were convicted of multiple counts of rape and indecency with a child, in relation to Girl B | Ahmed, of Corona Avenue, Oldham, and Bashir, of Napier Street East, Oldham, were convicted of multiple counts of rape and indecency with a child, in relation to Girl B |
| Shahzad, of Beswicke Royds Street, Rochdale, Akram, of Manley Road, Rochdale, Hussain, of New Field Close, Rochdale, and Khan, of Athole Street, Rochdale, were convicted of multiple counts of rape against Girl A | Shahzad, of Beswicke Royds Street, Rochdale, Akram, of Manley Road, Rochdale, Hussain, of New Field Close, Rochdale, and Khan, of Athole Street, Rochdale, were convicted of multiple counts of rape against Girl A |
| Khan was found guilty of a single count of rape against Girl A | Khan was found guilty of a single count of rape against Girl A |
| During the trial the prosecution offered no evidence against an eighth defendant, Arfan Khan, 41, of Rochdale, who was cleared of various sexual offences. | During the trial the prosecution offered no evidence against an eighth defendant, Arfan Khan, 41, of Rochdale, who was cleared of various sexual offences. |
| 'Indefensible and inexcusable' | 'Indefensible and inexcusable' |
| Following the verdicts, Det Supt Alan Clitherow, from Greater Manchester Police's CSE team, said the force should have done more at the time. | Following the verdicts, Det Supt Alan Clitherow, from Greater Manchester Police's CSE team, said the force should have done more at the time. |
| "What is clear is the way those victims were dealt with at the time is indefensible and inexcusable," he said. | "What is clear is the way those victims were dealt with at the time is indefensible and inexcusable," he said. |
| "There was information at the time that police and other agencies could and should have done something with and we didn't. | "There was information at the time that police and other agencies could and should have done something with and we didn't. |
| "We have made comprehensive apologies for that." | "We have made comprehensive apologies for that." |
| He said the force had since improved on how these investigations are managed. | He said the force had since improved on how these investigations are managed. |
| All the men were prosecuted as part of Operation Lytton, an ongoing investigation by the force into historical child sexual exploitation in the town. | All the men were prosecuted as part of Operation Lytton, an ongoing investigation by the force into historical child sexual exploitation in the town. |
| A total of 32 offenders have been convicted so far as part of Operation Lytton and an earlier investigation called Operation Doublet into child sexual exploitation. | |
| Five more trials are scheduled to take place from September. | |
| Liz Fell from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "These men targeted children, preyed upon their vulnerabilities and groomed them for their own sexual gratification. | |
| "The treatment of the victims at the hands of these predators was nothing short of appalling." | |
| She said the convictions sent "a very clear message" that the CPS and police would "relentlessly" prosecute those who sexually exploit children, whenever that abuse took place. | |
| The NSPCC said the "appalling, ruthless exploitation" of these vulnerable girls highlighted the need for children to be able to speak out and warned that adults must educate themselves on the signs of grooming. | The NSPCC said the "appalling, ruthless exploitation" of these vulnerable girls highlighted the need for children to be able to speak out and warned that adults must educate themselves on the signs of grooming. |
| "Child sexual abuse can have profound and long-lasting consequences on those who experience it," the charity added. | "Child sexual abuse can have profound and long-lasting consequences on those who experience it," the charity added. |
| Additional reporting by PA Media. | |
| Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. | Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. |