Seven Men Found Guilty of Horrific Sexual Exploitation of Vulnerable Teenage Girls in Rochdale

Gang groomed victims as ‘sex slaves’ from age 13 in campaign of abuse spanning five years

Seven Asian men have been convicted of the sexual exploitation of two white teenage schoolgirls in Rochdale, following a harrowing trial that exposed years of systematic abuse.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard how the defendants preyed on the vulnerabilities of the victims to groom them as “sex slaves” from the age of 13 on various dates in the Greater Manchester town between 2001 and 2006.

The jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts on Friday after three weeks of deliberations, bringing to a close a case that has once again shone a spotlight on the disturbing pattern of grooming gangs targeting vulnerable young girls.

VULNERABLE VICTIMS TARGETED

Both girls had “deeply troubled home lives” and were systematically targeted by the gang, who exploited their vulnerabilities through a calculated campaign of manipulation.

The court heard how the defendants gave the young victims drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, places to stay and people to be with – all part of a grooming process designed to make the girls dependent on them.

Soon after, the girls were expected to have sex “whenever and wherever” the defendants and other men wanted, the court was told.

DEGRADING CONDITIONS

The victims were forced to endure abuse in the most degrading conditions imaginable. They were made to have sex in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses, as well as in cars, car parks, alleyways and disused warehouses throughout the town.

The systematic nature of the abuse, spanning five years from when the girls were just 13 years old, painted a disturbing picture of predatory behaviour that destroyed the childhoods of two vulnerable teenagers.

JUSTICE AT LAST

The convictions represent the latest chapter in Greater Manchester’s ongoing efforts to tackle historical child sexual exploitation cases, following a series of high-profile operations that have exposed the scale of abuse in the region.

This case adds to the growing number of convictions secured against grooming gangs in Rochdale. As of January 2024, a total of 42 men had been convicted in connection with child sexual exploitation rings in the town, resulting in jail sentences totalling 432 years.

WIDER PATTERN OF ABUSE

The Rochdale cases have become synonymous with the failures of authorities to protect vulnerable children, after it emerged that warnings about patterns of sexual abuse were repeatedly ignored for years.

Previous investigations revealed that 47 girls were identified as victims of child sexual exploitation during initial police investigations in Rochdale, with the men involved predominantly being of British Pakistani heritage.

Sara Rowbotham, who worked as the Co-ordinator of the Crisis Intervention Team in Rochdale, made more than 100 attempts to alert police and social services between 2003 and 2014 about patterns of sexual abuse, but was told the witnesses were not reliable.

SENTENCING TO FOLLOW

The seven men convicted in this latest case now await sentencing, where they are expected to receive substantial jail terms for their heinous crimes against two vulnerable teenagers.

The case serves as another stark reminder of the need for vigilance in protecting vulnerable children and the importance of believing victims when they come forward with allegations of abuse.

Greater Manchester Police and partner agencies continue to investigate historical cases of child sexual exploitation, sending a clear message that the passage of time will not protect perpetrators from justice.

“Vintage Doors at the Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester” by DPP Law, taken 7 December 2016, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0