27th February 2019
Nine men have been found guilty of a total of 21 offences involving the grooming, rape and sexual exploitation of two vulnerable Bradford girls.
- Basharat Khaliq, 38, of Deanwood Crescent, Allerton, Bradford BD15 9 also known as ‘Bash’, was found guilty of five counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration. Received 20 Years
- Saeed Akhtar, 55, of Back Girlington Road, Girlington, Bradford BD8 9 also known as ‘Sid’, was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of causing or inciting child prostitution. Received 20 Years
- Naveed Akhtar, 43, of Newport Place, Manningham, Bradford BD8 8 also known as ‘Nav’, was found guilty of two counts of rape, and not guilty on one count rape. Received 17 Years
- Parvaze Ahmed, 36, of Farcliffe Road, Heaton, Bradford BD8 8 also known as ‘Pav, was found guilty of three counts of rape. Received 17 Years
- Izar Hussain, 32, of St Leonard’s Road, Girlington, Bradford BD8 9 also known as ‘Billy Joe Joe’, was found guilty of one count of rape and one count of attempted rape, and not guilty of two counts of rape. Received 16 Years
- Zeeshan Ali, 32, of Durham Terrace, Girlington, Bradford BD8 9 also known as ‘Twinny’ or ‘T’, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault. Received 18 Months
- Kieran Harris, 28, of Fir Parade, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury WF13 3, was found guilty of two counts of rape. Received 17 Years
- Fahim Iqbal, 28, of no fixed abode in Dewsbury, was found guilty of one count of aiding and abetting rape, which was linked to one of Kieran Harris’ rapes. Received 7 Years
- Mohammed Usman, 31, of Quaker Street & Undercliffe Street, Bowling, Bradford, BD3 0, also known as ‘Manny’, was found guilty of two counts of rape. Received 17 Years
The jury returned unanimous verdicts yesterday afternoon on all but one of the defendants following a seven-week trial at Bradford Crown Court.
All nine men were remanded in custody to be sentenced by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, today.
An NSPCC spokesperson said of the convicted defendants: “These men cruelly abused two young girls for their own twisted sexual gratification, cynically exploiting the victims’ vulnerability. We hope today’s convictions bring them some comfort and it’s important both receive all the support they need to move forward.
“This case highlights the risk that children who regularly go missing from care face in terms of physical abuse, grooming and sexual exploitation.
“Whatever a young person is going through, it is important they remember help and support is always available. Childline is here to listen to children and young people who feel they have no one else to talk to.
“Childline can be contacted 24 hours a day seven days a week online and over the phone on 0800 11 11 or via www.Childline.org.uk.
“For parents and adults concerned about a child you can contact the NSPCC Helpline 24/7 on 0808 800 5000 or for more information visit www.NSPCC.org.uk.”
NSPCC spokesperson
Transcript of the sentencing of all guilty members of the Bradford Asian grooming gang
Scroll to the bottom to the start..
3:19pm
And now, the day’s court proceedings have come to an end. Thank you all for reading.
3:19pm
Iqbal and Akhtar will be sentenced on these charges on Wednesday, March 20.
3:16pm
Two of the defendants in the grooming trial have also appeared in court this afternoon on a separate charge.
Fahim Iqbal and Naveed Akhtar have both pleaded guilty in a plea and trial preparation hearing to three counts.
The first is for conspiring together and with others to supply cannabis.
The second is for conspiring together with others to supply buprenorphine, a Class C drug, an opioid also known by the brand name Subutex.
The third is for conspiring together with others to bring, throw or otherwise convey a quantity of mobile phones into HMP Leeds in Armley.
3:07pm
The case has now concluded. A full, detailed report of the sentencing will be on the website later today.
2:56pm
He has also given a number of police officers his highest commendation for their work.
2:54pm
Judge Durham Hall: “I would like to pay tribute to the court staff who have had to deal with rather unusual dynamics, not just the ushers but also the management.”
2:42pm
All of the men except Zeeshan Ali have been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life. Ali will have to sign the register for ten years.
2:40pm
Judge Durham Hall is putting in place an interim SHPO preventing the nine men from having any contact with either of the two victims in the future.
He said the ruling could be final, but a concrete order will be confirmed in the future.
2:37pm
Barristers are now discussing the breadth of sexual harm prevention orders which will be placed on their clients.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall said if the men are involved in the grooming of young girls again they will face life imprisonment.
2:33pm
Police have been making a statement outside court.
2:32pm
Court has now resumed for the afternoon session.
1:57pm
The court has now broken for lunch but will resume at 2.30pm. There are still some matters to be resolved, including making sexual harm prevention orders against the offenders and an official commendation for the police investigation that brought them to justice.
We will continue to provide updates through the afternoon.
1:38pm
The trial has now come to an end.
1:38pm
Judge Durham Hall praised his “absolutely wonderful” jury for their conduct throughout the trial.
1:37pm
The nine men have received a total sentence of 132-and-a-half years.
1:37pm
Zeeshan Ali has been jailed for 18 months for sexual assault.
1:36pm
He has received 17 years each for two counts of rape, to be served concurrently.
Judge Durham Hall said his victim was “truly frightened by him” and he “contributed to her severe psychological harm”.
Usman violently raped his victim in her own home.
1:34pm
Mohammed Usman, found guilty of two counts of rape, has been jailed for 17 years.
1:32pm
Fahim Iqbal has been jailed for 7 years for aiding and abetting rape.
1:30pm
Harris received 17 years for each of his two rapes, to be served concurrently.
He was described by one of his victims as “an evil, pixie-faced man”.
1:29pm
Kieran Harris has been jailed for 17 years.
1:27pm
Billy Joe Joe, as he was known, has been handed 16 year jail term for rape and for attempted rape, to be served concurrently. He was yesterday acquitted on two counts of rape.
Judge Durham Hall described him as “violent”.
1:26pm
Izar Hussain has been given 16 years in prison.
1:25pm
He received 17 years for each of the three counts of rape, served concurrently.
Judge Durham Hall said he “was party to the continuing addiction of this girl so you could rape her”.
1:24pm
Parvaze Ahmed has been jailed for 17 years.
1:23pm
He has been jailed for 17 years for each of the two counts of rape, served concurrently. He was cleared yesterday of a third count of rape.
1:22pm
Naveed Akhtar has been jailed for 17 years.
1:22pm
Judge Durham Hall said Akhtar bears a “heavy burden” for the grooming and damage done to the victims.
He said he treated one of the girls “as merchandise”, and “it was your fault, as well as the others, she has suffered such psychological harm”.
1:20pm
Saeed Akhtar has been jailed for 20 years for rape, and two five year terms for causing or inciting child prostitution, to be served concurrently.
1:20pm
Saeed Akhtar has also been jailed for 20 years.
1:15pm
Khaliq, wearing glasses and a grey tracksuit, saluted to the public gallery as he was led out of the dock.
1:14pm
16 years for each of the five counts of rape, served concurrently, and four years for assault by penetration, to be served consecutively.
1:14pm
Basharat Khaliq has been given 20 years in prison.
1:08pm
“‘No choice. No freedom.'”
1:07pm
“She said: ‘They make you feel like you are wanted, then come the nasty bits. It was part of the package. If you just wanted a friend, you had to do the other stuff too’.”
1:06pm
“What this jury has recognised is the acts of those of you who groomed destroyed, and was designed to destroy, any form of consent from start to finish. Where grooming is proved and sexual intercourse follows, how can that be consent?
“There is no difference between rape following grooming and rape following violence. The motive is the same, the outcome is the same.”
1:03pm
“The jury have seen this case for what it was. Clear, determined and insidious grooming.”
1:02pm
“Such cases have been dealt with recently across the country; Rochdale, Leeds, Rotherham.”
12:59pm
“The jury have spoken. It has been an ordeal, not only for the jury and everyone in court, but for the victims too.
“They were relentlessly, by Basharat Khaliq and the other eight of you, sexually abused following grooming and, whether there is or isn’t a connection to the groomers through blatant violence, over a period of years.”
12:56pm
“In the trial it was clear you didn’t get it, and some of you still do not get it now. The damage and hurt you have caused for your sexual pleasure has been revealed to all, and the lengths some of you went to to corrupt and groom a girl are truly appalling, and then threaten and to rape her beyond description.”
12:55pm
“Your behaviour has been as wicked as it is incomprehensible to all in our society and in particular in this community.”
12:53pm
“You have shown no respect for the minimum standards of behaviour in this society.
“It is quite clear she was treated by some of you as a toy or a commodity to be used.”
12:52pm
“One of your victims, sitting in court, has shown the utmost courage. For many years she may have felt like she had no voice or was powerless but she has a voice now, gentlemen.
“She knows the criminal justice system is here for the likes of her.”
12:52pm
“As the knowledge of the opportunity to take advantage of damaged young people spreads, it is not uncommon for young men to get involved.”
12:51pm
Judge Durham Hall is delaying the court’s lunch break to deal with sentencing the offenders immediately.
“No court in England and Wales seems to have escaped grooming by groups or individuals of grown men of vulnerable young persons,” he said.
12:45pm
Judge Durham Hall said the letter from Usman’s mother was a “moving testimonial from a mother who, like the victims in this case, is deeply affected and grieving”.
Mr Ferm added he is also the carer for his mother, which forced him to give up his job, and also does voluntary work with the local charity Human Relief Foundation, giving 30 days a year of his time to fundraise and volunteer.
12:42pm
Rodney Ferm, mitigating for Mohammed Usman, handed a document prepared by Usman’s mother last night to Judge Durham Hall.
Mr Ferm said Usman was the last defendant to be involved, and there was “no evidence he knew at all how the victim’s life had developed up until that point”, and could not be considered to have been involved in grooming.
He said Usman had problems with cocaine and alcohol addiction at the time of the offending, and did not ply his victim with drugs.
Mr Ferm said Usman has not committed any offences since 2012, when he got clean from drugs.
12:37pm
Andrew Dallas, mitigating for Fahim Iqbal, said what Iqbal did was “not for his own gratification” and was “immediately regretted”.
He said Iqbal has a four-year-old daughter, was 19 at the time of the offence, and his offence is “distinct from the others”.
12:31pm
Graeme Wilson, mitigating for Kieran Harris, asked Judge Durham Hall to take his age at the time of the offending into account, aged 20.
He said Harris also now has two children, and was not aware of the victims’ backgrounds at the time of the offending.
12:29pm
Frances Hertzog, mitigating for Zeeshan Ali, said the touching by Ali was “over clothing” and “lasted a matter of seconds”, and there was “no additional degradation or humiliation of the victim”.
She said: “While the victim was in drink that night, there is no evidence Ali used alcohol or drugs to facilitate this offence.
“He took a chance in the back of a taxi, it was spontaneous.”
She said while he is heavily convicted, no previous convictions are of a sexual nature, so the behaviour is “out of character”.
She said he has been called a rapist in the street and bricks have been thrown through the windows of his home, which has caused he and his family distress.
Ali is engaged and was due to be married this year.
12:19pm
Geraldine Kelly, mitigating for Izar Hussain, said the rape committed by Hussain was “not planned”.
She said he has no cautions or offences recorded against him since the offending took place, and has no experience of being in custody.
She said he had been in a relationship since 2011 with a woman he intended to marry.
12:14pm
Alphege Bell, for Parvaze Ahmed, said his client accepts a “substantial sentence is coming his way” and it was an “extremely serious and grave matter”, but there was a “complete absence of violence or threat of violence”.
He said Ahmed is a married man with a young daughter, and outside this case there is no history of sexual offending.
12:09pm
Robin Frieze, mitigating for Naveed Akhtar, said Akhtar is “a married man with three children, who has never been in custody and has no previous convictions for offences of this kind”.
12:07pm
In mitigation for Saeed Akhtar, Peter Moulson QC said that for the one count of rape “there was no use of violence or threat of violence”.
11:58am
“Rebuilding my life has been hard to do while my abusers walk the streets, but hopefully getting justice is the first step in my path of doing this.”
11:58am
“I have been diagnosed with depression, PTSD, anxiety since I was 15.
“I struggle to sleep and when I do I have nightmares.
“I have previous issues with self-harm and multiple suicide attempts.
“I struggle to leave the house due to anxiety which prevents me from living a full life, and have spent my adult life on medication.
“I have seen a mental health worker every two weeks for seven years.
“My scars greatly affect my confidence and self-worth and are a constant reminder of what I have been through.
“The drug and alcohol misuse has had a large affect on my health, such as abnormal liver function.
“I showed signs of a promising future and was predicted A*s and wanted to be a lawyer. Because of the abuse I dropped out of school and was in trouble with police.
“My offending stopped when the abuse stopped, but my criminal record and mental health has had an impact on me and will in the future.
“The abuse resulted in the forced adoption of my eldest daughter. There was never an issue with my parenting ability it was just the lifestyle around the abuse, meaning I could not form a relationship with my daughter.”
11:53am
The second victim is now reading her own statement in court.
11:52am
“When Basharat was arrested I could not leave the house for three months. I had to leave my job because of the dread of him or someone he knew walking through the door.
“It pains me to see my dad in panic at the thought of Basharat turning up at our house.”
11:51am
She said: “I have the most irrational thoughts because of anxiety.
“I have fear going to the shops, and very rarely go to restaurants or out on an evening with friends.
“I was manipulated, used, nothing but a toy to play with. I understand this because new relationships are so much different.
“I have had years of counselling to understand it wasn’t love it was grooming.”
11:50am
Ms Melly is now reading a statement on behalf of one of the victims of the impact the case had on them.
11:47am
Ms Melly is raising points she says are aggravating features in this case.
She said the use of alcohol and drugs were aggravating features in the case.
She said the abuse had an impact on the girls’ “ability to form attachments to people in the home”, and the girls were “14 years of age out at night missing sleep and education” in a “significant period of time in these young women’s lives”.
She added: “There was a significant degree of planning for Mr Khaliq to take two 14-year-old girls from a care home to a hotel room, and alcohol was used at this time.”
11:39am
The men’s previous convictions are now being read out by prosecutor Kama Melly QC.
- Basharat Khaliq has previous convictions for obstructing a police officer and battery.
- Saeed Akhtar has previous offences of dishonesty, possession of cannabis and battery.
- Naveed Akhtar has previous offences of criminal damage, drugs offences and drink driving.
- Parvaze Akhtar has a “lengthy record” stretching back to the 1990s, including burglary, possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine and driving offences, and has previously served prisons sentences for these crimes.
- Izar Hussain has previous convictions for drugs offences and interfering with a vehicle.
- Zeeshan Ali has been “heavily convicted”, said Ms Melly, for a variety of offences including burglary, witness intimidation, robbery, drugs offences and taking prohibited items into prison.
- Kieran Harris has previous convictions for racially aggravated offences and driving offences.
- Fahim Iqbal also has a “lengthy list” of convictions, including previous sexual assault and robbery.
- Mohammed Usman has previous convictions for possession of heroin and crack cocaine.
11:23am
The nine guilty men have now been brought back into court.
11:17am
Judge Durham Hall has praised the jury for their work during the trial.
He said: “I cannot use words sufficient to praise your commitment to this case.”
11:15am
The jury has found Yasar Majid not guilty of one count of rape.
11:14am
The jury have reached a verdict for Yasar Majid’s one count of rape.
11:01am
Proceedings are now back underway.
10:28am
Judge Durham Hall has risen, with the case due to resume at 10.30am.
9:45am
The jury have been told by Judge Jonathan Durham Hall, The Recorder of Bradford they require a majority of at least ten people (of 12) to pass a verdict on the remaining count – of rape against Yasar Majid.
The jury has retired to consider their verdict once again.
9:34am
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage from Bradford Crown Court.
You can read the background to this trial here Nine guilty men to be sentenced today in sex abuse trial | Bradford Telegraph and Argus (thetelegraphandargus.co.uk)
Transcript of sentencing