One of the first rape gang leaders convicted in Britain could be out of prison in weeks

He was a leading member of a nine-man gang which abused 26 girls.

The married dad was jailed for a minimum of eight years in 2011 but has remained in prison until now.

His case has been referred to the Parole Board, with a hearing set for December 18.

He led the gang with Abid Mohammed Saddique, who GB News can also reveal has been recommended for open prison conditions, meaning he could soon be released as well. He was jailed for at least 11 years.

Both married and with children, they cruised around the streets of Derby in a BMW or a Range Rover – which Saddique referred to as the 'Rape Rover' – looking for victims while their unsuspecting families waited at home.

The sentencing judge said the pair's attitude was "sex at any price" as they and others embarked on what he described as a "reign of terror on girls in Derby".

The case was one of the first of its kind in Britain. The gang was brought to justice under “Operation Retriever”, a Derbyshire Police undercover investigation.

Liaqat, of Sinfin, Derby, was found guilty of one count of rape, two of sexual assault, aiding and abetting rape, affray, and four counts of sexual activity with a child.

Saddique, of Normanton, Derby, was convicted of four counts of rape as well as two counts of false imprisonment, two of sexual assault, three charges of sexual activity with a child, perverting the course of justice, and aiding and abetting rape.

A Parole Board spokesman said: "An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Mohammed Liaqat and is scheduled to take place in December 2025.

"Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.

“Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.

“The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.

“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”

The gang scoured the streets of Derby at night for victims and plied girls with alcohol before sexually attacking them.

Saddique and Liaqat looked for vulnerable young girls then offered rides in the car to 'link and chill', plied them with vodka stored under the seats and took them to parks, hotel rooms or houses, where they were sometimes offered cocaine before being pressured into sex.

The abuse took place over 18 months and the gang are feared to have attacked 100 women. The youngest victim was just 12, the oldest 18.Over weeks and months they were taken to homes in Derby and other towns before being raped by the gang and their friends, some of whom paid the men in cash.

When girls refused their advances, they were threatened with hammers or thrown out of cars, the court heard during Saddique and Liaqats' trial in 2011.

It was one of the first cases in the country which echoed other crime patterns discovered in Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford.

Detective Superintendent Debbie Platt, said at the time: "We were shocked with the scale and extent of what we'd uncovered … this is a very hidden crime, so we didn't have a victim coming forward and saying what had happened, so we've had to investigate without the victim knowing what we were doing.”

A police investigation into the gang started with three men being routinely pulled over and officers were concerned to see two young girls with them.They had been reported missing from a care home in Derby.