Grooming gang found guilty of using two teenage girls as 'sex slaves' in Rochdale

The men groomed their victims as "sex slaves", exploiting their vulnerabilities through a campaign of manipulation.

The young girls had “deeply troubled home lives” and were handed drugs, alcohol, cigarette and given places to stay and people to be with.

The girls were expected to have sex "whenever and wherever" the defendants and other men demanded.

Both victims were forced to have sex in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses, the court heard.

They were also abused in cars, car parks, alleyways and disused warehouses throughout the town.

The convicted men include market stallholders and taxi drivers who systematically abused their victims over a five-year period.

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Three of the convicted men were Pakistani-born market stallholders: Mohammed Zahid, 64, Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, and Kasir Bashir, 50.

Zahid, known as "Boss Man", operated a lingerie stall where he gave free underwear to both victims, along with money, alcohol and food in exchange for sex with him and his associates.

In 2016, Zahid received a five-year sentence in a separate grooming case involving a 15-year-old girl who visited his stall to purchase school tights.

Bashir failed to appear at the trial, having absconded while on bail before proceedings began.

Another defendant, Roheez Khan, 39, was previously convicted in 2013 for sexually exploiting a "profoundly vulnerable" 15-year-old girl, receiving six-and-a-half years for sexual activity with a child and witness intimidation.

Three Rochdale-born taxi drivers - Mohammed Shahzad, 44, Naheem Akram, 48, and Nisar Hussain, 41 - had their bail revoked in January before jury selection began.

Judge Jonathan Seely remanded them in custody after police intelligence suggested they were planning to flee the UK and had already paid deposits for transport.

The three men denied the allegations, but the court refused to risk them absconding like their co-defendant.

The jury's unanimous guilty verdicts came after three weeks of deliberations.

Father-of-three Zahid and six other defendants now await sentencing for their crimes.

Following verdicts, Detective Superintendent Alan Clitherow, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “There was information at the time that police and other agencies could, and should, have done something with and we didn’t.

“The way those victims were dealt with at the time is indefensible and inexcusable.

“We have made comprehensive apologies for that. We’re not perfect but we are very much improving now on how we manage these investigations.

“We have got a dedicated central team, we have got multi-agency teams that work out on districts. So, we are now light years away from where we were at that time.

“But the simple fact is that we did make mistakes. We didn’t act on information we should have but we have learnt from that.”

Reacting to the verdict, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "The crimes committed by these men are sickening. Their victims were raped and abused for years, and the youngest was just 13 years old.

"It should not have taken 20 years to get these convictions. This kind of abuse was actively covered up by the authorities for too long - simply because the perpetrators were mainly of Pakistani heritage and police and local councils were more concerned about race relations than about protecting young and vulnerable girls.

"Not a single person in authority has ever been held to account for covering up crimes like these, and for ignoring the victims.
It’s time for a national statutory inquiry to get to the truth about the cover ups.

"I will push this to a vote in Parliament next Wednesday - but so far Labour has refused to have one, which simply continues the cover up. If they vote against a proper inquiry next week, it will be a day of shame for Labour."