Six convicted of child sex offences in Rotherham

SIX people have been convicted of sexual offences against young girls in the UK town of Rotherham, after a two-year investigation of “systematic and organised” abuse.

Brothers Basharat and Arshid Hussain, their uncle Qurban Ali and Karen MacGregor and Shelley Davies were found guilty of a range of offences. Another sibling Bannaras Hussain had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Martin Tate said the verdict marked a “crucial milestone” for victims who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of the “vile individuals”.

“I can’t begin to put into words the trauma that these women experienced at such a young age,” he said.

“For their courage and for their support of this investigation, I am eternally thankful and I can’t really express how pleased I am for them. I’m extremely pleased that their voices have finally been heard, believed and that those responsible have been publicly held to account for their crimes.”

TWO-MONTH TRIAL

The verdict follows a lengthy trial in which seven people were charged for a range of child grooming offences against 12 people over a decade in Northern England.

Two brothers, Majid Bostan, 37 and Sajid Bostan, 38, were cleared of all charges.

Arshid and Basharat Hussain were found guilty of several rapes and indecent assault. Bannaras Hussain, 36, admitted 10 charges including rape and indecent assault before the trial while Qurban Ali was found guilty of conspiracy to rape.

Two women, Karen MacGregor, 58, and Shelley Davies, 40, were convicted of conspiracy to procure prostitutes and false imprisonment.

Throughout the trial prosecutors alleged the young women were targeted and subject to acts of a “degrading and violent nature”. Victims of the group told of being raped and passed among the men, with some becoming pregnant as a result.

One of the victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told how she lived with MacGregor and thought of her as a second mother but was told to “earn her keep” while living at her house.

The court heard how victims were kept inside and made to scrub the house constantly.

“We were on our hands and knees all the time scrubbing carpets, settee, washing curtains, washing windows, stairs, changing bedding all the time,” she said.

Prosecutor Michelle Colborne QC told the court Arshid Hussain, known as “mad Ash” played a key role as a brutal controller of the ring of men and claimed he had forced one of the victims to work as a prostitute and run guns and drugs.

Arshid Hussain admitted having a sexual relationship with one of the girls however he said in a statement via his lawyer he believed the 15-year-old was 16 at the time. He denied having sexual relationships with eight of the other women.

The case is the latest in a scandal that first came to light in November 2010 when five men were jailed for sexual offences against underage girls. By September 2012 investigative journalist Andrew Norfolk revealed the case was much bigger than initially thought, with thousands of crimes committed by men that went unprosecuted by police.

Insp Tate thanked the work of agencies for their role in supporting victims and said he hoped it encouraged others to come forward.

“If victims of sexual abuse come to the police we will help them, support them and do everything we can to put the criminals responsible in prison where they belong.”

The six will be sentenced on Friday.