Twenty men jailed in Calderdale for raping and sexually abusing children

Twenty men who raped and abused four girls in Calderdale have been jailed. West Yorkshire Police he said.

The men were sentenced to a total of 219 years in prison for this incident. sexual abuse It was carried out between 2001 and 2010 against four girls aged between 12 and 16.

The abuse was first revealed in a series of lawsuits and extensive police investigations into allegations received in 2016.

West Yorkshire Police said it announced the convictions on Wednesday after court restrictions imposed to secure legal proceedings were lifted, allowing them to share details of three investigations where cases have now been concluded.

Detective chief inspector Claire Smith said: “Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to the sheer bravery of the victims and survivors in each of these investigations, not only for having the courage to come forward at the outset, but also for enduring the weight of the criminal justice system and violence in criminal proceedings and reporting.” There are restrictions.

“Due to legal restrictions, it has not been possible to make these results public until now. I welcome the sentences handed down to these criminals for the disgusting abuse these young girls suffered, which jurors have heard about at every trial for the past few years.

“Tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation is a top priority for West Yorkshire Police and our partners. “This is a heinous crime that has a lifelong impact on victims and survivors.”

The first investigation into the sexual abuse and exploitation of two girls aged between 13 and 16 in Calderdale between 2006 and 2009 was launched in 2016.

Nine men from Halifax were jailed during two hearings at Bradford Crown Court.

In the first trial, which started in October 2021, 45-year-old Shahzad Nowaz and 44-year-old Nadeem Nassir were found guilty of rape and threatening to kill. Both were sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Convicted of rape, 48-year-old Sajid Adalat and 49-year-old Shazad Nazir were sentenced to 7 and 11 years in prison, respectively. Sohail Zaffer, 41, pleaded guilty to rape and supplying class C drugs and was sentenced to 42 months in prison.

After the second trial, which started in January 2022, 39-year-old Nadeem Adalat, 38-year-old Asad Mahmood, 39-year-old Muhammad Rizwan Iqbal and 38-year-old Vaseem Adalat were found guilty of rape. The former and the latter appealed against their sentences, which were increased to 14 years and 14 years and 6 months respectively.

The second investigation was launched in 2016, following reports that a vulnerable girl was repeatedly abused between 2002 and 2006, starting from the age of 13.

At the first hearing at Bradford Crown Court, 48-year-old Amir Shaban, from Halifax, was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In the second trial, which began in October 2022, six men from Halifax (67-year-old Malik Quadeer, 55-year-old Mohammed Ziarab, 45-year-old Imran Raja Yasin, 45-year-old Kamran Amin, 48-year-old Mohammed Akhtar and 54-year-old Saquab Hussain) were jailed for rape. Quadeer was convicted of five counts of rape and sentenced to 22 years in prison.

In the third trial, which started in January, three men were convicted of two counts of rape. 40-year-old Haroon Sadiq from Halifax was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 44-year-old Shafiq Ali Rafiq from Dewsbury was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and 39-year-old Sarfraz Rabnawaz from Bradford was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

The third investigation was launched in 2018 regarding the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl between 2001 and 2002.

Craig Mitchell, 55, of Halifax, was convicted of rape and sentenced to 12 years in prison at a hearing in December.

DCI Smith added: “I hope that highlighting the prosecution of these criminals serves as a reminder that we will continue to do all we can to put perpetrators behind bars and protect victims and survivors.

“It is never too late to report child sexual abuse. I encourage anyone who was abused as a child to talk to someone and get support. “Reports of abuse that are not recent are dealt with by officers who are specifically trained to support victims and survivors and deal with such sensitive cases.”

The latest investigations come after 15 men were jailed for sexual offenses against children in 2016. Police said it was the largest investigation into this matter at the time. grooming gangs In Calderdale.

The following year, victims and investigators warned that grooming gangs across the country were repeating organized abuses suffered previously. Rotherham, rochdale, Oxford And newcastle.

Operation Sanctuary, which investigated grooming gangs operating in Northumberland, Tyne and Weir. More than 700 potential victims identified As of August 2017.

Rape Crisis offers support to those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them in England and Wales on 0808 802 9999, in Scotland on 0808 801 0302 and in Northern Ireland on 0800 0246 991 or visit their website at: www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you’re in the US, you can call Rainn at 800-656-HOPE (4673).