Grooming gang who lured young Huddersfield girls into 'dark and sinister world' found guilty of multiple sex offences

Usman Ali, 34,of Park Drive, Huddersfield; Banras Hussain, 39, of Scarborough Road, Shipley; Abdul Majid, 36, of Lightcliffe Road, Huddersfield; Gul Riaz, 43, of Balmoral Avenue, Huddersfield; and three other defendants aged 30, 36 and 37, from Huddersfield, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been found guilty of a total of ten counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

The two victims - young girls - were sexually exploited by the gang, often after being plied with alcohol, between 1995 and 2007. One of the victims was targeted on her paper round.

Michael Quinn from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This case involved the cynical exploitation of two young girls by a group of older men in the Huddersfield area who were targeted because of their vulnerability.

“These men systematically groomed and exploited the girls for their own sexual gratification.

“The girls were drawn into a dark and sinister world where they were passed around to men who used them sexually without any regard for whether they were consenting.

“Sometimes the girls were plied with alcohol or drugs. They were unable to make truly free or informed choices about anything they did with these men. Their abusers viewed the girls as merely objects, to be used and abused at will.

“At the heart of this case are the two victims. They have suffered immensely as a result of their childhood abuse. We would like to acknowledge their great courage in coming forward to assist the investigation and then to support the prosecution.

“I sincerely hope the convictions of their abusers will go some way to helping these young women to rebuild their lives. Our thoughts remain with them.”

DCI Richard McNamara of Kirklees District Police said: “The men involved in these vile offences have robbed their victims of their childhood and abused them in truly appalling ways.

“During the trial the court heard that one victim came to the attention of her abusers while she was on a paper round, which speaks volumes about the sheer depravity of this case.

“It is difficult to imagine the impact on the victims of the abuse they suffered but it is clear their courage in reporting what was done to them and in supporting the prosecution has helped take some dangerous men off our streets.

“The guilty verdicts today will hopefully be a milestone for them in seeing those responsible begin to pay for what they have done as will the forthcoming sentences of these individuals.”

The defendants will be sentenced at Leeds Crown Court tomorrow.