Eight men from Keighley, West Yorkshire, have been convicted for being part of the grooming gang and involvement in multiple sexual offences against two children in the late 1990s. The victims were 13 and 16 at the time.
Three of the men- Ibrar Hussain (47), Imtiaz Ahmed (62), Fayaz Ahmed (45) were part of a grooming gang that targeted two children. The men were found guilty in December last year at Bradford Crown Court and sentenced to Friday, according to West Yorkshire police‘s statement.
Fayaz Ahmed was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison after being convicted of two counts of rape in his absence. Imtiaz Ahmed received a 9-year sentence for rape, also in his absence. Ibrar Hussain was jailed for 6.5 years following his conviction on two counts of rape. A warrant has been issued by the court for the Ahmed and Fayaz Ahmed, whilst investigations continue to determine their whereabouts.
As for the other five men, police said they were sentenced following the first trial, which concluded on 20 October 2023, Amreaz Asghar (47) was jailed for 4.5 years for rape. Perwaz Asghar (50) received 6.5 years for two indecent assaults. Mohammed Din (47) was sentenced to 14 years for 11 counts of rape. Sajid Mahmood Khan (45) of Keighley, was jailed for 3 years for rape, while Zehroon Razak (47) was sentenced to 6.5 years for rape.
The victim, now in her 40s, gave a witness impact statement and was quoted by Sky News saying, “If I had been listened to sooner rather than later, maybe, just maybe, my life could have been different. I went through too much, too young, and I’m still trying to fix the trauma that other people have inflicted on me.”
Meanwhile, Judge Ahmed Nadim criticised the responses of social services and police at the time, saying they were “either ill-equipped to properly understand what was happening at street level”, or “disinterested in addressing the needs of [the victims]”, according to BBC.
The victim recalled being “plied with drugs and alcohol to numb the abuse” and an instance where men had been “queuing up” in the corridor of a flat to have sex with her. She said, “Nothing in this world can ever fix the damage I have been through – because of them I lost my identity.”
Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Greenbank praised the victims for their courage and patience throughout the investigation and court process. “I would like to take this opportunity to praise both victims for coming forward and reporting these offences to the police. They have both shown immense patience whilst the criminal investigation has been ongoing and courage throughout the court process,” she said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a three-month “rapid audit” to look at the current scale and nature of gang-based exploitation across the country, including ethnicity data, demographics, and cultural and societal drivers.
