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Rochdale gang jailed for total of 77 years for sexually exploiting young girls
Rochdale gang jailed for total of 77 years for sexually exploiting young girls
(about 4 hours later)
Nine men have received heavy jail sentences at Liverpool crown court for their part in a child sexual exploitation gang that groomed young vulnerable girls in Rochdale.
Nine men have received heavy jail sentences at Liverpool crown court for their part in a child sexual exploitation gang that groomed young vulnerable girls in Rochdale.
The trial at Liverpool crown court, which concluded on Tuesday, heard that the five victims – the youngest was 13 when the abuse began – were plied with food, alcohol, drugs and gifts so they could be passed around a group of men for sex.
The trial, which ended on Tuesday, heard the five victims – the youngest was 13 when the abuse began – were plied with food, alcohol, drugs and gifts so they could be passed around a group of men for sex.
The nine defendants were jailed for a total of 77 years, with the ringleader, a 59-year-old man from Oldham, who cannot be identified for legal reasons receiving a 19-year term after being convicted of two rapes, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault and trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
The nine defendants were jailed for a total of 77 years, with the ringleader, a 59-year-old man from Oldham, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, receiving a 19-year term after being convicted of two rapes, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault and trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Kabeer Hassan, 25, of Oldham, was jailed for nine years for rape and three years, concurrently, for the conspiracy conviction. Hamid Safi, 22, an illegal immigrant of no fixed address, was jailed for four years for conspiracy and one year, concurrently, for trafficking.
Kabeer Hassan, 25, of Oldham, was jailed for nine years for rape and three years, concurrently, for conspiracy. Hamid Safi, 22, an illegal immigrant of no fixed address, was jailed for four years for conspiracy and one year, concurrently, for trafficking.
Abdul Qayyum, 44, of Rochdale, was jailed for five years for conspiracy. Mohammed Amin, 45, of Rochdale, was sentenced to five years for conspiracy and 12 months, concurrently, for sexual assault.
The other men all came from Rochdale. Abdul Qayyum, 44, was jailed for five years for conspiracy. Mohammed Amin, 45, was sentenced to five years for conspiracy and 12 months, concurrently, for sexual assault. Adil Khan, 42, was given eight years for conspiracy and eight years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation. Mohammed Sajid, 35, was sentenced to 12 years for rape, six years for conspiracy, one year for trafficking and six years, concurrently, for sexual activity with a child. Abdul Rauf, 43, a married father-of-five, was jailed for six years for conspiracy and six years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation. Abdul Aziz, 41, a taxi driver, was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy and nine years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Adil Khan, 42, of Rochdale, was given eight years for conspiracy and eight years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation. Mohammed Sajid, 35, of Rochdale, was sentenced to 12 years for rape, six years for conspiracy, one year for trafficking and six years, concurrently, for sexual activity with a child.
Before the sentencing, Martin Narey, former Barnardo's chief executive and government adviser on adoption, said in northern cities there is a "very significant over-representation of Asian men, Pakistani men, in these terrible crimes", although he added child abuse in general is perpetrated mostly by white men.
Abdul Rauf, 43, a married father-of-five from Rochdale, was jailed for six years for conspiracy and six years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation. Abdul Aziz, 41, a taxi driver from Rochdale, was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy and nine years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation.
"For this particular sort of crime, the street grooming – the trafficking of girls in northern towns in Derby, Leeds, Blackpool, Blackburn, Oldham and Rochdale – there's very troubling evidence that Asians are overwhelmingly represented in prosecutions for such offences," he told the BBC Radio 4's Today pProgramme.
Several hours before the sentencing, Martin Narey, a former chief executive of Barnardo's and government adviser on adoption, said that in northern cities there is a "very significant over-representation of Asian men, Pakistani men, in these terrible crimes", although he added that child abuse in general is perpetrated predominantly by white men.
"For this particular sort of crime, the street grooming – the trafficking of girls in northern towns in Derby, Leeds, Blackpool, Blackburn, Oldham and Rochdale – there's very troubling evidence that Asians are overwhelmingly represented in prosecutions for such offences," he told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"That's not to condemn a whole community; most Asians would absolutely abhor what we've seen in the last few days.
"That's not to condemn a whole community; most Asians would absolutely abhor what we've seen in the last few days.
But Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, said the criminal justice system should not "dance to the tune of the BNP".
But Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, said the criminal justice system should not "dance to the tune of the BNP".
"I do not believe it's a race issue. Why do I believe this? The assistant chief constable [of Greater Manchester Police] has said so, and so has the deputy children's commissioner. We need to have a proper far reaching investigation into these crimes.
"I do not believe it's a race issue. Why do I believe this? The assistant chief constable [of Greater Manchester police] has said so, and so has the deputy children's commissioner. We need to have a proper far-reaching investigation into these crimes.
"There's a lot of questions about how organisations have cared for them. We do need to look into this. It's quite wrong to stigmatise a whole community."
"There's a lot of questions about how organisations have cared for them. We do need to look into this. … It's quite wrong to stigmatise a whole community."
Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramahdan Foundation, which campaigns for better community relations, said: "We've had 77 convictions of which 67 are British Pakistani men. We've got a problem and we've got to confront it. There's been a tremendous amount of support from young Pakistani men and women who are disgusted by this behaviour.
Greater Manchester police said further arrests could be made following the trial.
"A very small minority of people engaged in these activities believe that young white girls are worthless and that they can use and abuse them without any regard for the law."
Greater Manchester Police said that further arrests could be made following the trial. One man, Mohammed Shazad, 39, from Rochdale. is wanted by police after he absconded while on bail. Its investigation identified a further 42 potential victims of on-street grooming.The force has faced criticism for its handling of the original investigation in 2008, when a 15-year-old girl complained she'd been attacked and groomed. The force has apologised to the victims after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue charges against the 59-year-old man and Kabeer Hassan, and the matter has been voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is supervising Greater Manchester police's inquiry.
Barnardo's chief executive, Anne Marie Carrie, said: "Thousands of victims of child sexual exploitation are being let down by the system. They are being failed twice; once by the failure to prevent them becoming victims in the first place and again by the failure to punish their abusers and secure justice."
She said drastic changes were needed to make sure abusers who control vulnerable children for sex and personal gain are brought to book. Across the UK, the charity worked intensively with 1,200 victims and young people at risk of exploitation in 2010.
Carrie said that of 137 police investigations, only 24 resulted in convictions as a result of insufficient evidence and over-reliance on victims to act as witness. She argued that it was too much to expect of children to carry the weight of court cases on their young shoulders.
On Wednesday, Mr Justice Clifton told eight of the men they had been convicted of "very grave sexual offences" between spring 2008 and 2010.
He said the men were driven by lust and greed. In some cases "those girls were raped callously, viciously and violently". Some of the victims were driven around Rochdale and Oldham and made to have sex with much older paying customers. The victims were at a difficult point in their lives, one had been in care for many years and one left her parents' home.
"All of you treated [the victims] as though they were worthless and beyond respect," he told the men, citing a possible reason for their contempt was the young girls "were not of your community or religion".
Tacitly addressing the race issue, the judge said one of the defendants told the trial he "didn't want to be seen with young white girls in his community in Oldham".
He said some of the men claimed their arrests were triggered by race, which was "nonsense". He pointedly said the sentences he passed "apply to all defendants - be they white or Asian".
Last Friday, the 59-year-old defendant called the judge a racist bastard. He was banned from the court and has declined to attend since then. The judge, in turn, called him "a violent and hypocritical bully".
The case has been beset by problems with the far right, which has relentlessly picketed the court, assaulted two Asian defence barristers and delayedproceedings. On Tuesday, the BNP chairman, Nick Griffin, tweeted that the jury had convicted on seven counts before the court had been told of their verdicts. One of the defence barristers is appealing, saying the impartiality of the jury could have been compromised. Griffin could face charges for contempt of court as the judge had placed reporting restrictions on the verdicts.
Yet when the judge discharged the jury, he said they could leave the court "with their heads held high" and he praised their diligence in considering the case.
Greater Manchester Police said that further arrests could be made following the trial. One man, Mohammed Shazad, 39, from Rochdale. is wanted by police after he absconded while on bail. Its investigation identified a further 42 potential victims of on-street grooming.
The force has faced criticism for its handling of the original investigation in 2008, when a 15-year-old girl complained she'd been attacked and groomed. The force has apologised to the victims after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue charges against the 59-year-old man and Kabeer Hassan, and the matter has been voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is supervising Greater Manchester police's inquiry.
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre said child exploitation spans all cultures and ethnicities. "These cases do highlight that Asian males have been involved in an organised manner in exploiting young women," a spokesperson said, but some of the cases involve offenders from different backgrounds as well.
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre said child exploitation spans all cultures and ethnicities. "These cases do highlight that Asian males have been involved in an organised manner in exploiting young women," a spokesperson said, but some of the cases involve offenders from different backgrounds as well.
Detective Inspector Michael Sanderson, senior investigating officer in the case, said the defendants had never shown the slightest bit of remorse and forced the victims to re-live their horrific ordeals. He vowed the force would "hunt down and prosecute" anyone involved in the sexual exploitation of children.
Detective Inspector Michael Sanderson, senior investigating officer in the case, said the defendants had never shown the slightest bit of remorse and forced the victims to re-live their horrific ordeals. He vowed the force would "hunt down and prosecute" anyone involved in the sexual exploitation of children.
