Two brothers from Goole sentenced for sexual exploitation of young girls

Eight men who sexually exploited teenage girls in Rotherham have been jailed for a total of 96 years.

Two of them are brothers from Goole - 30-year old Sageer Hussain and 40-year old Basharat Hussain.

Sageer from Tanglewoods has been jailed for 19 years for four counts of rape and one of indecent assault.

Basharat's had an existing jail term extended by a further 7 years for indecent assault.

A month-long trial at Sheffield Crown Court heard how the men sexualised'' their victims and, in some instances, subjected them to acts of adegrading and violent nature''.

One girl and her family told police, their MP and the then home secretary David Blunkett about the abuse and eventually moved to Spain to get away from the men.

The court heard that this victim had gone to the police in 2003, saying she had been repeatedly raped by Sageer Hussain when she was 13.

Judge Sarah Wright, who jailed Hussain for 19 years, said he had conducted a campaign of violent rape'' against the vulnerable 13-year-old.

Hussain's brothers, Arshid, Basharat and Bannaras, were jailed in April following the first successful prosecution of a grooming gang in Rotherham since the child sexual exploitation scandal engulfed the South Yorkshire town two years ago.

Mohammed Whied, 32, of Psalters Lane, Rotherham, was found guilty of one count of aiding and abetting rape - he was told he'll serve a 5 year sentence.

Ishtiaq Khaliq, 33, of Cherry Brook, Rotherham, was found guilty of one rape and three indecent assaults and was jailed for 17 years.

Waleed Ali, 34, of Canklow Road, Rotherham will serve a 13 year sentence after he was found guilty of one rape and one indecent assault.

Asif Ali, 30, of Clough Road, Rotherham, was convicted of one rape and was sentenced to 12 years.

Masoued Malik, 32, of Bridgewater Way, Rotherham, was found guilty of one rape, one count of conspiracy to commit indecent assault and one of false imprisonment - he was given a 15 year sentence.

Basharat Hussain, 40, from Goole, was convicted of one indecent assault and was ordered to serve a 7 year sentence alongside the 25 year sentence he is already serving.

And Naeem Rafiq, 33, of Clarendon Road, Rotherham, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit indecent assault and one of false imprisonment and given an 8 year sentence.

An official inquiry into exploitation in Rotherham in 2014 by Professor Alexis Jay concluded that at least 1,400 children had been raped, trafficked and attacked between 1997 and 2013 by gangs of largely Asian men, and that the victims were effectively ignored.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Tate, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Significant sentences have been handed to these individuals for their significant and horrific crimes.

“The rape and sexual abuse of children is completely abhorrent and this group have shown no remorse for their crimes, forcing the young women who came forward to report this awful abuse to relive traumatic experiences before the court.

“We are indebted to the victims, who have supported our investigation and have shown remarkable strength in attending court to give evidence.

“This has been a lengthy and complicated process but I hope they are pleased with today’s results. These dangerous sexual offenders are now behind bars where they can cause no further harm, thanks in large part to the victims’ trust and confidence in our investigation.”

A statement from one of the survivors, which will be read outside of court following sentencing, is copied below:

“I want to thank South Yorkshire Police (Operation Clover), the Police and Crime Commissioner, Rotherham Council, the ISVA service, Victim Support and, of course, my mum and dad for all of the hard work and support each of them has offered.

“The reality is I have had more support in the last three years than I have ever had before. Things have changed, all I ever wanted was justice and all of these people have helped me to achieve it.

“I know grooming still goes on but I feel that the help is available now if you speak out. Groomers thrive in the silence of others. Speak out and someone will listen. The people who chose to hurt you will be held to account for their actions, no one else, as those who hurt me have found today.

“The survivors of CSE in Rotherham have fought hard and fought with dignity. They have paved the way for others to follow and I hope they feel able to do so. If you see a child in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable please report it, CSE is everyone's issue and we all play a part in stamping it out.”

Anyone with concerns about child sexual exploitation can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also contact the national helpline Say Something on 116 000. Always call 999 in an emergency.

Reacting to the news that eight men have been sentenced to a total of 96 years in prison for sexually abusing children in Rotherham, Sarah Champion MP said:

‘I welcome the news that these eight men have been jailed for a total of 96 years for their utterly despicable crimes. This sends the strongest signal that we will not stand for the abuse of children.

‘I hope today's sentences brings some closure to the survivors and that they feel justice has been done.

‘By coming forward, these brave women have been forced to relive the most horrific experiences and their courage has not only secured eight convictions but will hopefully encourage other survivors to speak out.

‘But let me be clear: the fight isn’t over. We will not rest until every victim of child sexual exploitation has justice, and until these vile practices have been stamped out – both in Rotherham and across the UK. We have to focus on prevention as well as prosecutions.

‘I would like to thank South Yorkshire Police, the CPS and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council for all their vital work in securing these convictions.’

Ian Thomas, Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services at Rotherham Council added: “Today is further evidence of the commitment we have made as partners to work together to hunt these evil perpetrators and bring them to justice. Today’s sentences and the 102 years handed out at the previous court case in March and recent convictions for current crimes of child sexual exploitation, shows we are serious about making sure we protect the most vulnerable in our community. We will not shy away from prosecutions, historic or current.

“I have no doubt the sentences today will be of massive importance to the young women who came forward to report years of horrific sexual abuse at the hands of these criminals. They have shown remarkable bravery throughout this whole process and although this won’t take away what happened to them, I hope it helps them to move forward and start to rebuild their shattered lives.

“I hope that today inspires confidence in victims and survivors to feel able to get in touch with us through the Rotherham Together Partnership and let us help them try and get the justice they deserve.”

In her sentencing remarks Judge Sarah Wright said...

"I would like to take this opportunity to commend wholeheartedly the remarkable courage of all of the victims in this case.All 3 have shown immeasurable bravery in coming forward to give their accounts. They showed immense strength of character in relating their experiences to the police and then giving evidence in court, having to re-live their traumatic experiences from many years ago in such an open and public forum.They gave evidence knowing it would be extremely embarrassing for them and knowing that they would be accused in cross examination on behalf of defendants of inventing stories for financial gain or of being fantasists. It was readily apparent that the real motive for each of them was a desire to bring the issue of child sexual exploitation into the public domain, to help to protect other girls in the future and to try to move on with their lives. No-one listening to the evidence will forget the obvious trauma of all the victims and Victim 1 emotionally recounting that if, by her efforts, she has prevented just one young girl having to go through what she has had to go through then she will feel that she has achieved what she wanted to accomplish.Each of the victims has shown bravery beyond measure in speaking about such intimate and traumatic experiences and exposing themselves to such intrusion and questioning."

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