News|RacismUK court convicts 7 men for ‘grooming’, systematic abuse of teensGang ringleader is sentenced to 35 years in prison for abuse; others get a minimum of 12 years.
A court in Manchester, United Kingdom, has sentenced seven men to prison terms ranging from 12 to 35 years for the systematic sexual abuse of two teenage girls in Rochdale, northern England, between 2001 and 2006.
A court in Manchester, United Kingdom, has sentenced seven men to prison terms ranging from 12 to 35 years for the systematic sexual abuse of two teenage girls in Rochdale, northern England, between 2001 and 2006.
Mohammed Zahid, a 65-year-old market trader identified as the group’s ringleader, received the longest sentence after being convicted of multiple counts of rape and other sexual offenses against both victims.
Six other men, aged between 39 and 67, were also convicted following a four-month trial that concluded in June.
Prosecutors presented evidence that the victims, both 13 years old at the time of the abuse, were initially offered gifts, money, and places to stay. The abuse escalated as they were taken to various locations across the town, where they were given alcohol and drugs before being sexually assaulted by members of the group.
Six other men, aged between 39 and 67, were also convicted following a four-month trial that concluded in June.
The case represents part of ongoing legal proceedings addressing historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, which first came to public attention in the early 2010s. Local authorities and the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have acknowledged failures in their duty to protect the victims.
Stephen Watson, the chief constable of GMP, issued an apology in April 2022, admitting that the force had been "borderline incompetent" in managing the issue. The force, along with other local institutions, had failed to act despite warnings, according to a 2022 government-commissioned report, which led to an impression that the local council and police were downplaying "the ethnic dimensions of child sexual exploitation."
Estimates from a 2014 report suggested the number of victims who may have been exploited by men primarily of Pakistani heritage in such cases is at least 1,400. However, the vast majority of sexual cases in the UK continue to be perpetrated by white men.
A preliminary report released in June by Baroness Louise Casey indicated that data on the issue was poor and, in many cases, non-existent, making it difficult to determine whether any ethnic group was overrepresented. Casey noted that while suspects and offenders in child exploitation cases were disproportionately of Asian heritage, child abuse cases predominantly involved white men.
Following Casey’s report, then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that the government had accepted the report’s recommendations, including the strengthening of rape law and protection for children. Speaking in the House of Commons in June, Cooper emphasized the importance of addressing these findings to prevent the marginalization of entire communities.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.