Pakistani grooming gang faces justice for teen sex slave horror

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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.

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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.