PAKISTANI GROOMING GANG FACES JUSTICE FOR TEEN SEX SLAVE HORROR
Shocking Rochdale grooming gang faces justice for heinous five-year abuse of vulnerable teens, as court hears chilling details of exploitation and systemic failures.
A seven-man grooming gang, convicted of a harrowing five-year campaign of rape and sexual abuse against two teenage girls in Rochdale, faces sentencing today at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
The three-day hearing, commencing this morning, will determine the fate of the defendants, found guilty earlier this year of a catalogue of depraved sexual offences committed between 2001 and 2006. The victims, referred to as Girl A and Girl B to protect their identities, endured relentless exploitation, their vulnerabilities exploited by men who plied them with drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes in exchange for sexual acts.
The court heard how the girls, both aged 13 when the abuse began, were treated as "sex slaves," passed around, degraded, and discarded by their abusers.
The prosecution painted a grim picture during the trial, detailing how the defendants, all of Asian descent and primarily employed as market stallholders or taxi drivers, targeted the girls due to their troubled home lives. Girl A, now in her 30s, told the jury she may have been abused by as many as 200 men, her phone number circulated among predators, making it "hard to keep count." She reported to children’s services in 2004 that she was associating with older men, consuming alcohol and cannabis, yet no decisive action was taken.
Girl B, who resided in a children’s home during the period of abuse, revealed that police and social workers were aware of her situation, with records noting her as a "prostitute" from the age of 10. She accessed her file years later, confirming that authorities had documented her exploitation but failed to intervene effectively.
Mohammed Zahid, 64, the ringleader known as "Boss Man," orchestrated much of the abuse. A father of three and former market stallholder, Zahid provided free underwear from his lingerie stall to lure the girls, offering money, alcohol, and food in return for sex. Previously convicted in 2016 for sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl, he was jailed for five years in a separate Rochdale grooming case. Zahid, of Station Road, Crumpsall, was found guilty of raping both victims, alongside charges of indecency with a child and procuring a child for sex.
His co-defendants, Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, of Corona Avenue, Oldham, and Kasir Bashir, 50, of Napier Street East, Oldham, were convicted of multiple counts of rape and indecency with a child concerning Girl B. Bashir, notably, absconded while on bail and remains at large, with Greater Manchester Police admitting they have no knowledge of his whereabouts. He will be sentenced in absentia.
The remaining defendants—Mohammed Shahzad, 44, of Beswicke Royds Street, Rochdale; Naheem Akram, 48, of Manley Road, Rochdale; Nisar Hussain, 41, of New Field Close, Rochdale; and Roheez Khan, 39, of Athole Street, Rochdale—were convicted of multiple counts of rape against Girl A. Khan, previously jailed for six-and-a-half years in a 2013 Rochdale grooming case for exploiting a vulnerable 15-year-old, was found guilty of a single count of rape against Girl A.
Shahzad, Akram, and Hussain, all taxi drivers, were remanded in custody in January after intelligence suggested they planned to flee the UK, having paid a deposit for transport.
The convictions form part of Operation Lytton, an ongoing Greater Manchester Police investigation into historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, which has so far secured convictions against 32 offenders, alongside the earlier Operation Doublet. Detective Superintendent Alan Clitherow, from the force’s Child Sexual Exploitation team, acknowledged systemic failures in the original response to the victims’ plight.
He stated that the information available to police and other agencies at the time should have prompted action, describing the lack of intervention as "indefensible and inexcusable." The force has since implemented significant improvements in handling such cases, he added. Five additional trials related to Operation Lytton are scheduled to commence this month.
Liz Fell of the Crown Prosecution Service underscored the predatory nature of the defendants’ actions, noting they targeted vulnerable children for their own gratification.
The convictions, she said, send a clear message that authorities will relentlessly pursue those who exploit children, regardless of when the abuse occurred. Sharron Hubber, Rochdale Borough Council’s director of children’s services, admitted that more should have been done by professionals at the time, offering an apology for the failures.
The NSPCC highlighted the case as a stark reminder of the need for adults to recognise signs of grooming, warning of the profound and lasting consequences of child sexual abuse.
The sentencing hearing will proceed under intense scrutiny, with the court tasked with delivering justice for the victims’ unimaginable ordeal.
The defendants’ actions, spanning half a decade, have left an indelible mark on the case, which continues to expose the systemic shortcomings of the era. As the judge prepares to hand down sentences, the focus remains on ensuring accountability for the perpetrators and acknowledging the resilience of the survivors who brought this case to light.
