A child abuse gang which embarked on a “campaign of rape and other sexual abuse” against vulnerable teenage girls has been jailed, it can now be reported after censorship measures were lifted.
Leeds Crown Court heard grim details about how the predators, from Huddersfield, plied their victims with drink and drugs and threatened to, and sometimes did, abandon them on the moors if they did not comply with demands.
One victim gave birth to a child after being raped, another had an abortion, and one tried to kill herself following the abuse, The Times reports.
Most of the groomers — who had sinister nicknames like Chiller, Dracula, and Bully — were Pakistani heritage, with some from India, two Sikh, and many Muslims.
The case bears similarities to other cases in the UK – including Rotherham, Newcastle, and Oxford – with victims claiming police and authorities were slow or reluctant to act, potentially due to political correctness.
Reporting of the case in the media was completely blocked by authorities, despite intense public interest and details available online. Activist Tommy Robinson was imprisoned after reporting details on social media, with a media ban on reporting about Robinson’s imprisonment also being imposed.
The censorship was only lifted when a legal challenge was brought by a group a media organisations.
Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was dubbed the ringleader and jailed for life earlier this year and told he must serve a minimum of 18 years.
He is one of 20 men who has been found guilty of scores of offences and been jailed after a series of trials at Leeds Crown Court.
Fifteen women, who are mainly white, told juries harrowing details of what they had suffered at the men’s hands between 2004 and 2011 when they were aged between 11 and 17.
Dhaliwal was convicted of 54 offences against 11 victims. He was found guilty of 22 rapes, including the rape of a child under 13, sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, prostitution, trafficking, drug dealing, and beating.
The ‘Kid’ Mohammed Akram, 31, was convicted of rape, abduction, sexual assault, trafficking. He is yet to be sentenced.
Raj Singh Barsran, 34, was convicted of rape and sexual assault and jailed for 17 years.
‘Dracula’ Nahman Mohammed, 30, was convicted of rape and trafficking and jailed for 17 years.
‘Junior’ Asif Bashir, 32, was convicted of rape and sexual activity with a child. He is yet to be sentenced.
‘Shaw’ Niaz Ahmed, 53, nicknamed Shaw, is yet to be jailed but was convicted of sexual assault, inciting a child into sexual activity.
‘Beastie’ Abdul Rehman, 31, was convicted of rape, supplying a controlled drug of class B, ABH and trafficking, and jailed for 16 years.
‘Bully’ Mohammed Imran Ibrar, 32, was convicted of trafficking and ABH but is yet to be sentenced.
‘Little Manny’ Zahid Hassan, 29, was convicted of rape, attempted rape, trafficking, supplying a controlled drug of Class A, sexual activity with a child, abduction of a child and racially aggravated assault. He was jailed for 18 years.
‘Big Riz’ Mohammed Rizwan Aslam, 30, was convicted for 15 years for rape.
‘Finny’ Irfan Ahmed, 33, was jailed for eight years for sexual activity with a child and sexual exploitation.
‘Big Manny’ Manzoor Hassan, 38, was jailed for five years for supplying class A drugs.
Sajid Hussain, 33, nicknamed ‘Fish’ was jailed for 17 years for rape.
‘Mosabella’ Mohammed Azeem, 32, was convicted of rape and jailed for 18 years.
‘Boy’ Mansoor Akhtar, 27, was jailed for eight years for rape of a child under the age of 13 and trafficking.
Nasarat Hussain, 30, nicknamed ‘Nurse’, was jailed for 17 years for rape and sexual assault.
Wiqas Mahmud, 37, nicknamed ‘Vic’, was jailed for 15 years for rape.
Mohammed Irfraz, 30, nicknamed ‘Faj’, was jailed for six years for the abduction of a child and trafficking.
‘Chiller’ Faisal Nadeem, 31, was jailed for 12 years for rape and supplying a class A drug.
Prosecutor Richard Wright QC said the men saw the girls as “commodities” “to be used and abused at will”, The Mirror reports.
Opening the first trial in January, he said: “Some [of the girls] felt that were in genuine, loving relationships such was the extent to which they had been groomed by these men.
“Others were plied with drink and drugs to the point of being utterly unable to resist the sexual advances that were made against them.”
Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told Dhaliwal earlier this year: “You treated them as commodities to be passed around for your own sexual gratification and the gratification of others.
“The extent and gravity of your offending far exceeds anything which I have previously encountered. It was a very significant campaign of rape and other sexual abuse.
“Children’s lives have been ruined and families profoundly affected by seeing their children, over months and years, out of control, having been groomed by you and other members of your gang.”
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Mottershaw, from West Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation, said:
“The investigation into this case has been extremely complex and the investigative team have worked tirelessly for the past five years to ensure that no stone has been left unturned.
“We welcome the convictions and sentences which have been passed down throughout the year to these depraved individuals, who subjected vulnerable young children to unthinkable sexual and physical abuse.”
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