Grooming gang members given jail sentences

Eight men who were portion of a grooming pack successful the precocious 1990s person been jailed, it tin beryllium reported.

Three of the men - Ibrar Hussain, 47, and brothers Imtiaz Ahmed, 62, and Fayaz Ahmed, 45 - who are each from Keighley, were sentenced for rape astatine Bradford Crown Court connected Friday.

They were recovered blameworthy aft a proceedings successful November and December 2024.

Five different men were jailed past twelvemonth for their involvement. Reporting restrictions connected the lawsuit person present been lifted, meaning details tin beryllium published.

The tribunal heard the offenders targeted 2 underage teenage girls.

Hussain and Imtiaz and Fayaz Ahmed were each sentenced for raping 1 of the girls, who was aged betwixt 13 and 14 erstwhile the offences took place.

Prosecuting, Catherine Duffy described the miss arsenic "extremely susceptible and isolated astatine the clip that she was targeted."

In a unfortunate interaction statement, the woman, who is present successful her 40s, said: "If I had been listened to sooner alternatively than later, maybe, conscionable maybe, my beingness could person been different.

"I went done excessively much, excessively young, and I'm inactive trying to hole the trauma that different radical person inflicted connected me."

Judge Ahmed Nadim said the girl's parent had tried to study her missing to constabulary "on a fig of occasions", but thing was done.

Judge Nadim said constabulary and societal services were "either ill-equipped to decently recognize what was happening astatine thoroughfare level", oregon "disinterested successful addressing the needs of [the victims]".

"To differing degrees the societal services and police's responses to the concern that they recovered themselves successful was that they were the authoresses of their ain misfortunes," helium said.

The unfortunate said she was "ploughed with drugs and intoxicant to numb the abuse".

Giving grounds astatine trial, she recalled 1 lawsuit wherever men had been "queuing up" successful the corridor of a level to person enactment with her.

She said she was "groomed", past "passed connected to different men", and aboriginal became addicted to intoxicant and drugs, which she utilized arsenic a "coping mechanism".

"Nothing successful this satellite tin ever hole the harm I person been done - due to the fact that of them I mislaid my identity."

Hussain, of Mornington Street, was jailed for six-and-a-half years for 2 counts of rape, to beryllium served concurrently.

Hussain smiled and waved astatine his household members successful the nationalist assemblage earlier helium was taken distant to statesman his sentence.

The tribunal heard Imtiaz and Fayaz Ahmed absconded during a retrial past twelvemonth and were believed to beryllium abroad.

Fayaz Ahmed, formerly of Devonshire Street, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years successful his lack for 2 counts of rape.

Imtiaz Ahmed, formerly of Dawson Road, was jailed for 9 years successful his lack for 1 number of rape.

On Thursday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a three-month "rapid audit" looking astatine the "current standard and quality of gang-based exploitation crossed the country".

Cooper said the reappraisal would look astatine "ethnicity information and demographics of gangs progressive and their victims", and "cultural and societal drivers".

The authorities would besides enactment "victim-centred" section inquiries successful Oldham and up to 4 different "pilot" areas, she said.

It comes aft calls from absorption parties for a caller enquiry into grooming gangs, including Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley Robbie Moore.

Moore said determination were "many, including myself, fearing that the standard of this contented crossed the Bradford territory volition dwarf that of Rotherham".

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