Fifteen men have been sentenced to a combined total of 188 years in prison for their involvement in the rape and sexual abuse of a teenage schoolgirl in Bradford. The survivor was just 14 years old when her four-year ordeal began in 2007, culminating in 88 rape convictions against the gang of Asian men.
How the Abuse Was Uncovered
The devastating abuse was only discovered after police approached the survivor in November 2015, identifying her as a potential victim of child sexual exploitation. Records showed she had been the subject of multiple missing person reports during the time she was targeted by the grooming gang. A formal investigation was launched in February 2016.
Numerous trials have taken place over the last two years, but reporting restrictions were in place to protect the integrity of proceedings until this month. This case is one of the largest in Bradford, where a grooming gang scandal bigger than Rotherham has yet to be fully exposed.
Survivor's Statement
The woman, now 33, said: "The men involved have taken more away from me than what I can ever describe in words. Looking back now, I feel sad for my 12-year-old self knowing what was to come. All in all, this has consumed my life for just short of 20 years. It is not something which I can forget. My childhood has been taken away from me. The impact from what I suffered during my teens will always live with me, and I will carry that every day and learn to navigate my way through life with that."
The Sentences
- Hannan Miah, 40, of Bradford: 12 years for four rapes
- Asif Budhia, 43, of Bradford: 13 years for four rapes
- Abdul Basith, 44, of Bradford: 13.5 years for four rapes and one conspiracy to rape
- Burhan Uddin Ali, 39, of Bradford: 13.5 years for four rapes
- Muhammad Yasir, 40, of Bradford: 10 years for rape
- Mohammed Nadeem Ali, 42, of Bradford: 13 years for four counts of rape
- Jameel Ahmed, 35, of Bradford: 8 years for four counts of rape
- Amjad Hussain, 39, of Keighley: 10 years and 5 months for five counts of rape
- Ashfaq Ahmed, 38, of Halifax: 12 years for two rapes
- Aftab Ahmed, 37, of Bradford: 11 years for three rapes
- Anwar Aziz, 36, of Bradford: 15 years for 14 rapes
- Yousaf Bhatti, 40, of Bradford: 17 years for eight rapes
- Faisal Rashid, 37, of Bradford: 15 years for ten rapes
- Omar Taj, 39, of Batley: 15 years for 12 rapes
- Shahinul Haq, 39, of Bradford: 10 years for rape
Police Response
Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Greenbank of Bradford District Police said: "We welcome the convictions and the sentences today for what has been a long time coming for the survivor in this case. I would like to commend her courage and bravery that she has shown throughout the investigation and the court process. These men horrifically abused a child for their own sexual gratification. What they did was abhorrent, and they deserve to be in jail for a long time. This has been a long and complex investigation resulting in multiple trials. I hope today's outcome will give the victim some closure and a sense of justice."
