Two men have been handed significant prison sentences for the historic rape of a vulnerable teenage girl in Rotherham, marking the latest convictions in the UK's largest investigation into child sexual exploitation.
Details of the Attacks
Kessur Ajaib, 44, and Mohammed Makhmood, 43, both from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court today. The court heard how they separately attacked the same 14-year-old girl between 1999 and 2002.
Ajaib met the teenager in Rotherham town centre, plied her with alcohol, and then lured her into an alleyway where he raped her. On another occasion, Makhmood approached the girl as she waited at a bus stop. He offered her a cigarette before leading her to a graveyard and raping her. Shockingly, after the assault, Makhmood spat at his victim and laughed at her.
The Wider Operation Stovewood Context
The men were prosecuted as part of the National Crime Agency's (NCA) massive Operation Stovewood. This is the UK's most extensive investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse. It was launched following the damning 2014 report by Professor Alexis Jay, which revealed that at least 1,400 children, some as young as 11, were abused in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 by networks of predominantly Asian men.
Their trial took place alongside that of Sageer Hussain, described as a ringleader of a group abusing girls over two decades ago. Hussain, already serving 19 years for a "campaign of violent rape," received a further three-year sentence last month for another rape. The trial heard he told one victim she "deserved it and that is what white girls were for."
Sentencing and Police Response
At Sheffield Crown Court, Kessur Ajaib was jailed for eight years and six months for rape and indecent assault. Mohammed Makhmood received a seven-year prison sentence for rape, bringing their combined sentences to over 15 years.
Alan Hastings, an NCA officer, praised the victim's courage: "It must have been extremely difficult for the woman to relive that period in her life, but the information she shared enabled us to identify corroborating evidence and secure justice for her." He expressed hope that the sentences would bring her some closure.
The NCA confirmed that Operation Stovewood has now led to 49 convictions, with the investigation into the systemic abuse in the South Yorkshire town continuing.
