‘Allahu Akbar’ in Rotherham

Rotherham child sex gang shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ in court as they are jailed for 80 years for abusing girls, including one who became pregnant at just 12, after being groomed with alcohol and drugs

Child sex gang members shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ in court as they’re jailed

Six members of child sex gang given sentences between 10 years and 20 years
Two of the defendants shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they were led away from dock
The gang sexually abused two young Rotherham girls between 1999 and 2001
One victim fell pregnant aged 12 after being groomed with alcohol and drugs

Members of a Rotherham sex gang today yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ in court as they were jailed for abusing a girl who fell pregnant aged 12 after being groomed with alcohol.

Six men were given sentences between 10 years and 20 years – and totalling more than 80 years – by a judge who heard details of how two young girls were sexually abused in the South Yorkshire town between 1999 and 2001.

Judge Sarah Wright described how one of the girls was plied with alcohol and drugs and was having sex with a number of men from the age of 11.

The victim, in a statement read to the court, said: ‘There’s evil and truly evil people in the world. I feel my child was the product of pure evil.’

The sentencing marks the end of a series of three major trials after a report on child sexual exploitation in Rotherham revealed that more than 1,400 youngsters had been groomed, trafficked and raped in the town over a 16-year period.

It has led to 18 people being jailed for sentences totalling more than 280 years.

In November last year Sageer Hussain became the last of four brothers jailed for ‘degrading and violent’ sexual offences against youngsters. The Hussains were the most notorious perpetrators of terrible abuse against teenage girls in Rotherham.

There were emotional and chaotic scenes at Sheffield Crown Court after two of the latest defendants shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they were led from the dock.

As their supporters began shouting down into the court, one of the victims shouted back ‘justice is served’ as police moved into the public gallery.

Brothers Basharat Dad, 32, Nasar Dad, 36, both from Rotherham, and Tayab Dad, 34, of Tinsley, Sheffield, were jailed for sex offences along with Matloob Hussain, 41, Mohammed Sadiq, 40, both from Rotherham, and Amjad Ali, of Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

Basharat Dad was jailed for 20 years, Nasar Dad was given 14 years and six months, Tayab Dad was given 10 years, Hussain was given 13 years, Sadiq was given 13 years and Ali was given 11 years.

The girl’s pregnancy made headlines in 2001 when she was portrayed as one of Britain’s youngest ever mothers.

Although five men were arrested, there were no prosecutions at the time after the victim told police she could not say which of the men she had had sex with was the father.

Judge Wright said in court today that she had ‘no hesitation’ in finding that the girl could not remember because she was heavily under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

He paid tribute to the woman, who was sitting just a few feet away from her in the packed courtroom as the men were jailed.

The judge said: ‘As a result of what happened to her, her childhood and adolescence was taken from her.

‘She remarkably transformed her life from thereon, putting her own child first.

‘Hers is a tale of the most astonishing dedication and bravery.’

‘MY CHILD WAS THE PRODUCT OF EVIL’: AGONY OF GIRL WHO FELL PREGNANT AT 12 AFTER BEING REPEATEDLY RAPED

Judge Sarah Wright described how one of the child sex gang’s victims was plied with alcohol and drugs and was having sex with a number of men from the age of 11.

She became pregnant a year later.

The victim, in a statement read to the court, said: ‘Being raped so many times I hadn’t any idea who the biological father was.

‘There’s evil and truly evil people in the world. I feel my child was the product of pure evil.

‘I was drawn into a world of fear, rape and horrific abuse. I lost my childhood at the hands of those men.

She described how she was shunned by many in her community who called her worse things than ‘dirty, cheap slag’.

She said: ‘No-one understood. No-one wanted to understand.

‘I felt lost, isolated, trapped, ashamed and completely worthless.

‘I was completely owned by these dirty old men who would do with me whatever then wanted, whenever they wanted.

‘I now have a young daughter coming up to the age where Bash and his brother made me do these awful things. My greatest fear in life is that someone like them will take her away and make her do terrible things as they made me do.’

In the impact statement read to the court, the woman said: ‘I was drawn into a world of fear, rape and horrific abuse. I lost my childhood at the hands of those men.’

She described how she was shunned by many in her community who called her worse things than ‘dirty, cheap sl*g’.

She said: ‘No-one understood. No-one wanted to understand. I felt lost, isolated, trapped, ashamed and completely worthless.

‘I was completely owned by these dirty old men who would do with me whatever then wanted, whenever they wanted.’

The sentencing marks the end of a series of three major trials after the Jay Report on child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Professor Alexis Jay’s report, in 2014, provoked a wave of shock when she described how more than 1,400 children had been groomed, trafficked and raped in the town over a 16-year period.

The three trials – based around two families and their associates – have resulted in 18 people being jailed for sentences totalling more than 280 years.

The investigation that resulted in today’s sentences, called Operation Thunder, is the last into CSE in Rotherham to be led by police.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has taken over all historic Rotherham CSE investigations with a team of more than 100 working on over a dozen inquiries.

Last year, the NCA said it had engaged with 133 victims and survivors but investigators were confident that Prof Jay was right when she said in her report that the total was around 1,400.

The agency said it was looking at hundreds of potential suspects.

Speaking outside court on Thursday, Detective Chief Inspector Martin Tate, from South Yorkshire Police, said: ‘This is our third significant inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and, with the lengthy jail terms handed down to these individuals today, we have now put 18 criminals behind bars for over 280 years.

‘Following the successes achieved, we will now continue to move forward using the learning and best practice we have acquired over the last few years, through work done with our brave victims, their families and partnership agencies, to apply this practice to future investigations.

‘I’d encourage any victims and survivors out there who are yet to come forward to please get in touch or tell someone you trust. Officers and specialist support agencies are here to listen, to investigate and to bring perpetrators of this heinous crime before the courts.’

CHILD SEX ABUSE IN ROTHERHAM

Brothers Arshid, 40, Basharat, 36, and Bannaras Hussain, 39, were convicted of sexually, physically and emotionally abusing women in Rotherham

Today’s sentencing marks the end of a series of three major trials after a report on child sexual exploitation in Rotherham revealed more than 1,400 youngsters had been groomed, trafficked and raped in the town over a 16-year period.

It has led to 18 people being jailed for sentences totalling more than 280 years.

In February last year brothers Arshid, 40, Bannaras, 36, and Basharat Hussain, 39, were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court after a series of women – most now in their 30s – told a jury how they were sexually, physically and emotionally abused in Rotherham when they were in their early teens.

The Hussains were found guilty of a range of offences along with their uncle, Qurban Ali, 53, and two women – Karen MacGregor, 59, and Shelley Davis, 40.

Qurban Ali, Karen MacGregor, and Shelley Davies were all found guilty of a range of sex offences

And nine months later, in November, the last of the four brothers Sageer Hussain, was also jailed for ‘degrading and violent’ sexual offences against youngsters.

The four brothers were the most notorious perpetrators of terrible abuse against teenage girls in the South Yorkshire town.

Sageer Hussain was one of a gang of eight men sentenced to a total of 96 years in prison last November.

Prosecutors said he played a ‘key role’ and was ‘instrumental in befriending young girls who were flattered that he and his friends spent time with them’.

They were then exploited by Sageer, his friends and associates, seven of whom were sentenced last November.

Mohammed Whied, 32, was jailed for five years after being found guilty of one count of aiding and abetting rape.

Ishtiaq Khaliq, 33, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after being convicted of one rape and three indecent assaults.

Mohammed Whied, Waleed Ali, Asif Ali, (middle row left to right) Sageer Hussain, Ishtiaq Khaliq, (bottom row left to right) Basharat Hussain, Masoued Malik and Naeem Rafiq were all convicted of sexually exploiting teenage girls in Rotherham

Waleed Ali, 34, was jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of one rape and one indecent assault. Asif Ali, 30, was given a 12-year term after being convicted of one rape.

Masoued Malik, 32, was jailed for 15 years after being found guilty of one rape, one count of conspiracy to commit indecent assault and one of false imprisonment.

Naeem Rafiq, 33, was sentenced to eight years after being convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit indecent assault and one of false imprisonment. Basharat Hussain, 40, was convicted of one indecent assault.

The investigation that resulted in today’s sentences, called Operation Thunder, is the last into child sex abuse in Rotherham to be led by police.