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 nightmare began in 2007, leading to 88 rape convictions against the gang of Asian men.
Her harrowing ordeal only came to light after she was approached by police officers in November 2015, having been identified as a potential victim of child sexual exploitation. She was pinpointed as records showed that she had been the subject of numerous missing person reports at the time she was preyed upon by the grooming gang.
A formal investigation was launched in February 2016. Several trials have taken place over the past two years, but until this month they were all subject to reporting restrictions to safeguard the integrity of proceedings.
The woman, now aged 33, said: "The men involved have taken more away from me than what I can ever describe in words and 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."
Sentences Handed Down
The 15 men and their sentences are as follows:
- Hannan Miah, 40, of Bradford: 12 years for four counts of rape.
- Asif Budhia, 43, of Bradford: 13 years for four rapes.
- Abdul Basith, 44, of Bradford: 13 years and six months for four rapes and one conspiracy to rape.
- Burhan Uddin Ali, 39, of Bradford: 13 years and six months 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: eight years for four counts of rape.
- Amjad Hussain, 39, of Keighley: 10 years and five 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 Reaction
Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Greenbank of Bradford District Police stated: "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."
