Grooming gang sentenced to total of 174 years in prison

A Rochdale Grooming Gang have been sentenced to a total of at least 174 years in prison for historic sexual offences.

Seven men were found guilty in June for of a number of offences - including rape and indecency with a child.

Two women sparked an investigation in 2015, after speaking out about the abuse they endured at the hands of the men when they were teenagers

The trial heard how the women became "sex slaves" to the gang, either taxi drivers or working at the market, who preyed upon the vulnerable teenagers.

During the four-month long trial the defendants denied responsibility for their despicable crimes.

Both victims bravely gave compelling evidence in front of those men who subjected them to such horrific abuse when they were children.

They are the latest convictions as part of Operation Lytton – an investigation by our specialist Major Investigations Team into non-recent CSE in Rochdale which has been supported by the multi-agency complex safeguarding team, Sunrise, alongside Rochdale Borough Council.

During the trial the court heard how one of the gang members, a market stallholder, who groomed and raped two schoolgirls in Rochdale felt he was "almost untouchable".

Social services and police apologised for their past failings surrounding the victims, who were abused in the town between 2001 and 2006, following the convictions of Mohammed Zahid, 65, and six other Asian men earlier this year for various sexual offences.

Father-of-three Zahid - known as Boss Man - gave free underwear from his lingerie stall at Rochdale Indoor Market to both teenagers, along with money, alcohol and food, in return for the expectation of regular sex with him and his friends.

One of his victims, Girl B, was living in a local children's home when she was targeted by Zahid.

In June, Zahid, of Station Road, Crumpsall, was convicted of raping Girl A and Girl B, who did not know each other, on multiple occasions.

Jurors also found him guilty of offences of indecency with a child and procuring a child to have sex.

Fellow market traders Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, of Corona Avenue, Oldham, and Kasir Bashir, 50, of Napier Street East, Oldham - also born in Pakistan - were convicted of multiple counts of rape and indecency with a child, in relation to Girl B.

Taxi drivers Mohammed Shahzad, 44, of Beswicke Royds Street, Rochdale; Naheem Akram, 49, of Manley Road, Rochdale; and Nisar Hussain, 41, of New Field Close, Rochdale, were convicted of multiple counts of rape against Girl A.

Roheez Khan, 39, of Athole Street, Rochdale, was found guilty of a single count of rape against Girl A.

Bashir was sentenced in his absence after he fled the UK while on bail before the trial started.

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