Eight Men Convicted Of Multiple Child Sexual Exploitation Offences

Eight men have been convicted of multiple child sexual exploitation offences against three young girls in Rotherham between 1999 and 2003.

Eight men have been convicted of multiple child sexual exploitation offences against three young girls in Rotherham between 1999 and 2003.

At Sheffield Crown Court a jury returned guilty verdicts against the following defendants:

·        Sageer Hussain, 30, of Tanglewoods, Goole

·        Mohammed Whied, 32, of Psalters Lane, Kimberworth

·        Ishtiaq Khaliq, 33, of Cherry Brook, Eastwood

·        Waleed Ali, 34, of Canklow Road, Rotherham

·        Asif Ali, 30, of Clough Street, Rotherham

·        Masoued Malik, 32, of Bridgewater Way, Rotherham

·        Basharat Hussain, 40, of no fixed address and currently on remand at HMP Wakefield

·        Naeem Rafiq, 33, of Upper Clara Street, Bradgate

Sageer Hussain was found guilty of four counts of rape and one of indecent assault. Mohammed Whied was found guilty of aiding and abetting rape. Ishtiaq Khaliq was found guilty of rape and three counts of indecent assault. Waleed Ali was found guilty of rape and indecent assault. Asif Ali was found guilty of rape. Masoued Malik was found guilty of rape, false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit indecent assault. Basharat Hussain was found guilty of indecent assault. Naeem Rafiq was found guilty of conspiracy to commit indecent assault and false imprisonment. 

This follows a four-week trial that began in September 2016 and recalled years of sexual abuse against young girls in Rotherham.

Speaking after the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Martin Tate said: “This trial marks the culmination of three years of investigative work by South Yorkshire Police, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and the Crown Prosecution Service into the calculated and organised sexual exploitation of young girls in Rotherham."

“The verdicts today are of massive importance to the young women who have come forward to report years of horrific sexual abuse at the hands of these criminals."

“They had to endure what no child should and have shown remarkable bravery throughout our inquiry. From coming forward to officers, to providing video and written interviews, through to reliving their traumatic and awful abuse before the jury, they have carried themselves with composure and dignity."

“I am so grateful to these women, many of whom remain incredibly vulnerable, for offering their support to our investigative team and I am so pleased that their voices have been heard and their abusers have been held to account for their vile crimes."

“It is difficult to put into words the damage and impact of sexual exploitation on children, but I hope that by hearing these brave women’s accounts, other victims of this awful crime find the strength to come forward and tell someone what has happened or is happening to them."

“There are a range of agencies available that can offer support to victims of sexual exploitation and our team has had fantastic backing from Victim Support, Barnardos, GROW and the wider voluntary sector. Their staff are extremely passionate about helping victims and survivors and I thank them for their work throughout this investigation."

“I also want to recognise the prosecution barristers who have worked tirelessly alongside us to prepare for trial and have done an incredible job of prosecuting this case at court."

“There remains much to do to tackle this organised and often devious crime, and our officers will continue their work to safeguard victims, identify and apprehend offenders to build further prosecution cases."

“Please, if you are suffering sexual abuse, or know someone who is or has been a victim of this crime, come forward and talk to someone. We have officers who will listen to you, support you and do whatever we can to help you.”

The defendants will appear before Sheffield Crown Court on 4 November to be sentenced.