Two men convicted of sexually abusing teenage girls in Bury
The abuse took place in Greater Manchester and Wales in the late 1990s
Two market stallholders have been convicted of sexually abusing five vulnerable teenage girls after grooming them in the late 1990s.
Cousins Manzorr Hussain, 54, and Imtiaz Ali, 53, initially came into contact with some of their victims at their workplace and later plied them with alcohol and drugs before multiple offences, including rape, were committed.
The abuse mainly took place in Bury, Greater Manchester, but also elsewhere in the region and parts of Wales including at private homes, vehicles, a hotel and a car dealership, said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Ali staged "sex parties" where multiple men targeted the girls, while Hussain arranged for one girl to perform sex acts with strangers on a dirty mattress in a flat.
One victim said she was threatened that if she did not comply she would be abandoned naked on the moors, said the CPS.
The offences took place on various dates between 1996 and 1999 when the victims were aged 13 to 16.
On Monday, Hussain, of Manchester Road, Bury, was convicted by a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown of seven offences of rape.
Ali, of Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, was found guilty of five counts of rape, five counts of indecent assault and one count of indecent assault.
CPS specialist prosecutor Claire Brinton said: "They showed a callous disregard for the girls' welfare and used manipulation, force, threats and fear to control them and make them comply with their sick demands.
"These women have demonstrated remarkable bravery in coming forward, remaining engaged with the legal process, and reliving deeply traumatic experiences from over two decades ago. I would like to thank all of them and I hope these convictions can bring them some comfort."
Sergeant Daniel Whittaker, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "This case represents a harrowing example of predatory behaviour by two men who deliberately targeted vulnerable children.
"The offenders were plying the victims with alcohol and drugs and taking them to numerous locations before sexually abusing and assaulting them.
"They exploited their positions of trust and manipulated the girls into believing they were in relationships, while in reality they were being used for sexual gratification."
Hussain and Ali will be sentenced on December 8.