Pakistani-origin man rapes, treats minor girls as 'sex slaves' for years, jailed for 35 years. Case explained

Seven men were nabbed for raping teenage girls and treating them as "Sex slaves" in Rochdale, England. The criminals have been jailed for between 12 and 35 years. The leader of the gang, 65-year-old Mohammed Zahid, was sent for the longest time, 35 years in jail. He has been convicted of raping two girls, identified in court as Girl A and Girl B. He committed the crime on multiple occasions. He was also found guilty of offences of indecency with a child and procuring a child to have sex.

Both girls were sexually abused between 2001 and 2006. They were 13 during that time. The girls had “deeply troubled home lives” and were given drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, places to stay, and people to be with, a jury heard.

The girls, who did not know each other, were expected to have sex “wherever and whenever” the men wanted, whether in filthy flats, cars, or on nearby moors, the court heard.

‘I coped with what these men did...’

During the court hearing, Girl A said, “The abuse has affected every part of my life." “From what I look like, relationships, health, to my mental health," she added. Girl B said, “I coped with what these men did to me as at the time I believed that every man I came into contact with would expect sex. It is horrific that I didn’t know any different.”

She urged other victims to come forward to the police. “It doesn’t matter how much time has gone by; it is still possible to get justice,” she said.

Other criminals

Along with Zahid, the judge jailed Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, of Oldham, for 27 years and Kasir Bashir, 50, of Oldham, for 29 years. Ahmed and Bashir were convicted of multiple counts of rape and indecency with a child, in relation to Girl B.

Mohammed Shahzad, 44, of Rochdale, was jailed for 26 years; Naheem Akram, 49, of Rochdale, for 26 years; and Nisar Hussain, 41, of Rochdale, for 19 years. The men, all taxi drivers, were convicted of multiple counts of rape against Girl A.