Bradford grooming gang member who 'married' 15-year-old girl jailed for sexual offences

Bradford Crown Court heard that Raja Zulqurnean married the child in an Islamic wedding ceremony attended by the child's social worker, despite growing concern among care staff that she was being abused.

Jurors were told that the paedophile forced the child to conform to a halal diet and wear Islamic clothing.

Zulqurnean also prevented her from seeing her family due to them being "non-believers".

Bradford Crown Court heard how the perpetrator used to deprive the victim of food, education and medicine, in addition to sexually abusing her.

Jurors were told that the paedophile often locked the abuse victim in a the basement of a Bradford property.

It is believed the victim's previous social worker Anwar Meah faced police questioning over allegations of malfeasance in public office, but the investigation was closed without action.

At Bradford Crown Court, eight men in total were convicted for their roles in the victim’s sexual abuse:

• Raja Zulqurnean 43, of Bradford, was found guilty of 10 rapes and nine indecent assaults and was sentenced to 23 years in prison
• Basharat Khaliq, 45, of Bradford, was found guilty of three rapes and four counts of indecent assault and awaits sentencing
• Mohammed Naheem, 39, of Bradford, was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and awaits sentencing
• Safraz Ahmed Latif, 40, of Bradford, was found guilty of four indecent assaults and awaits sentencing
• Wajid Hussain, 42, of Bradford, was found guilty of indecent assault and awaits sentencing
• Nadeem Ali, 39, of Bradford, was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and awaits sentencing
• Mohammed Imran Akram, 43, of Bradford, was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and awaits sentencing
• Mohammed Shezhad Hussain, 39, of Keighley, was found guilty of one rape and two counts of indecent assault and awaits sentencing

• 'Sick' Telford grooming gang monster could be freed in MONTHS
• WATCH IN FULL: Powerful statements from grooming gang victims read out after Rochdale gang sentenced
• Rochdale grooming gang jailed for total of 174 years as ringleader sentenced to 35 years
• Survivor anger as Oldham offered ‘truth project’ instead of grooming gang inquiry

The victim of the horrific abuse told the BBC: "This was far more than a grooming case. This was an institutional scandal and no one cared for my wellbeing.

"I was married to an abuser. How could a child marry? Social services enabled it."

The Bradford children's home recorded that the child was frequently seen "was going out with Asian men late at night and not reporting to staff about where she had been", according to care documents seen by the BBC.

A social worker told the trials that up to 10 cars each night were seen coming to the children's home, with number plates being handed over to police every week.

The victim was reported missing more than 100 times between 2002 and 2004, according to records from West Yorkshire Police.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said the force had "significantly invested in and improved" its measures for safeguarding, adding that a "proactive and meticulous approach to exploring previous incidents" had been taken.

The spokesman said: "The work undertaken over the past decade has resulted in hundreds of perpetrators now serving lengthy prison sentences."

Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Greenbank said: “Cases such as these are incredibly sensitive and complex and it has taken years of painstaking investigation to bring these men before the courts.

“I hope this sends a clear message that regardless of how long-ago abuse happened we will pursue every avenue to get justice.”

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter