Seven men jailed for total of 106 years over 'horrific' sexual abuse of two girls in Rotherham

13 September 2024, 15:29 | Updated: 13 September 2024, 15:46

Seven men have been jailed for up to 106 years for the sexual abuse of two young girls in Rotherham, beginning when one was as young as 11.

Sheffield Crown Court has heard how the defendants regularly picked up the victims in their cars and gave them cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis and money.

They would often be collected by their abusers from the children’s homes where they lived at the time.

The girls would then be assaulted, forced to perform sexual acts or raped.

The court heard how the attacks took place at locations around Rotherham, in a park, in a car, in a supermarket car park, in a cemetery, even behind a children’s nursery.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said one of the girls was taken to a hotel where she was raped by two men.

On another occasion the same girl was locked inside one of her abuser's homes, raped on at least two occasions and only managed to escape by climbing out of a window.

The men were all convicted in June, after a nine-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court, which was the result of an investigation by the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood.

The seven men are the latest to been convicted following an investigation by the NCA's Operation Stovewood - the UKs biggest-ever child sexual exploitation inquiry, which is looking at abuse which took place in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

The NCA said this case covers "some of the worst offending we have investigated under Operation Stovewood".

The agency said Mohammed Amar, Mohammed Siyab, Yasser Ajaibe, Mohammed Zameer Sadiq, Abid Saddiq, Tahir Yassin and Ramin Bari were jailed on Thursday and Friday for the offences which were committed between April 2003 and April 2008.

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesman said Amar, Ajaibe, Sadiq and Sayib abused one victim, and Yassin and Bari abused the other.

Saddiq, who was already serving a 20-year prison sentence for sexual offences in Rotherham handed down in 2019, abused both girls.

The two victims were aged 11 and 15 when the offending began, the CPS said, and both spent time in the care system.

NCA senior investigating officer Stuart Cobb said: "These men were cruel and manipulative, grooming their victims and then exploiting them by subjecting them to the most harrowing abuse possible.

"They were responsible for some of the worst offending we have investigated under Operation Stovewood.

"I can only once again pay tribute to the victims who were brave enough to come forward, tell their stories and confront their abusers."

Zoe Becker, for the CPS, said: "These seven men deliberately preyed on two young girls they knew were vulnerable and, using drugs and alcohol, exploited them for their own sexual gratification.

"The cruelty and abuse the victims suffered at the hands of these defendants was horrific and has continued to have a lasting impact on their lives today.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank both the victims for coming forward and giving evidence. This has been a complex and challenging case, and it is because of their courage and fortitude that we have been able to bring these offenders to justice."

• Amar, 43, of Elizabeth Way, Rotherham, was convicted of two counts of indecent assault, the CPS said. He was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with two years extended licence.
• Siyab, 45, of Stevenson Drive, Rotherham, was convicted of two counts of rape, one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and one count of trafficking. He was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with 12 months extended licence.
• Ajaibe, 39, of Walter Street, Rotherham, was convicted of one count of indecent assault. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment with 12 months extended licence.
• Sadiq, 49, of Richard Road, Rotherham, was convicted of one count of rape and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13.
• He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with 12 months extended licence.
• Saddiq, 43, formerly of Rotherham, was convicted of three counts of rape and one of indecent assault. He was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment with 12 months extended licence.
• Yassin, 38, of Burngreave Street, Sheffield, was convicted of eight counts of rape. He was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment.
• Bari, 38, Of Derby Street, Sheffield, was convicted of four counts of rape. He has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment.

Operation Stovewood was set up in the wake of the landmark Jay Report which found in 2014 that at least 1,400 girls were abused by gangs of men of mainly Pakistani heritage in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

Thirty-six people have so far been convicted as a result of the operation, which the NCA says is the single largest law enforcement operation of its kind ever undertaken in the UK.

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Last year, the NCA announced that new allegations would be handled by South Yorkshire Police rather than Operation Stovewood, saying it had identified more than 1,100 children involved in the exploitation between 1997 and 2013 - almost all girls.

The agency said it remains committed to seeing its current investigations through to the end of the criminal justice process, which is anticipated to continue into 2027.

Previous estimates have put the cost of Operation Stovewood at around £90 million.

'Lasting impact'

Zoe Becker, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “These seven men deliberately preyed on two young girls they knew were vulnerable and, using drugs and alcohol, exploited them for their own sexual gratification.

“The cruelty and abuse the victims suffered at the hands of these defendants was horrific and has continued to have a lasting impact on their lives today.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank both the victims for coming forward and giving evidence. This has been a complex and challenging case, and it is because of their courage and fortitude that we have been able to bring these offenders to justice.

“I hope these convictions send a clear message that the CPS, working closely alongside law enforcement, will relentlessly pursue justice and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, whenever that abuse took place.

“All children have the right to feel safe and protected. I encourage anyone who has been in a similar position to come forward to report these incidents to the police. It is never too late to seek justice - you are not alone and there is help available.”

'Cruel and manipulative'

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Stuart Cobb said: “These men were cruel and manipulative, grooming their victims and then exploiting them by subjecting them to the most harrowing abuse possible.

“They were responsible for some of the worst offending we have investigated under Operation Stovewood.

“I can only once again pay tribute to the victims who were brave enough to come forward, tell their stories and confront their abusers.

“What happened to them can never be undone, but I hope the sentences handed down here will at least give them a sense that their abusers have been held to account and justice has been done.

“We and our partners will continue to do all we can to support them going forward.”