A group of seven men who groomed and sexually abused two young girls from Huddersfield over the course of many years have been sentenced today at Leeds Crown Court to terms of imprisonment ranging from 4 to 15 years.

Usman Ali, 34, was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for two counts of rape. Gul Riaz, 44, was jailed for 15 years for one count of rape and two of indecent assault. Banaris Hussain was convicted of one count of rape and received a prison sentence of 9 ½ years.  Abdul Majid, 36, was convicted two rapes and was jailed for 11 years. Two further men received sentences of 8 and 4 years, and a final man is due to be sentenced tomorrow.

The abuse which included multiple rapes and sexual assaults spanned a period of 12 years. The girls who were young and vulnerable were groomed and plied with alcohol before being passed around between those convicted and many others to be sexually abused and exploited. It was noted during the trial that one of the victims became known to the abusers whilst she was on her paper round which, as West Yorkshire Police noted, emphasised the depravity of the offenders. The court was told that the perpetrators did not treat the complainants as human beings.

The convictions in the Kirklees case follow the convictions last week at Oxford Crown Court of 3 men who had committed similar offences and each received custodial sentences of over 20 years.

The abuse in both these cases follows a familiar pattern seen in many Child Sexual Exploitation (“CSE”) cases, not only in terms of the abuse itself, but also the attitude of professionals such as police officers and social workers whose job it was to protect the young people from harm. The prosecutor in the Huddersfield case, Kate Batty noted in her opening that the girls’ families sought help from police and social services “time and time again” and when the family of one of the girls sought help they were told that “she must love it if she keeps going back”.

The effect of this kind of abuse is always significant and sadly does not come to an end when the abuse stops.

Switalskis Solicitors are specialists in this area and represent over 80 survivors of sexual exploitation, abuse and grooming across the country.