Six men have together been jailed for almost half a century after being convicted of “appalling” historic sexual offences, including rape, against a vulnerable teenage girl in and around Halifax. The offences took place between 2006 and 2009, when the girl was aged between 13 and 15, and the men were aged between 22 and 37.
Bradford Crown Court heard that the victim was groomed, targeted, plied with drink and drugs, and taken to remote locations across West Yorkshire to be abused. In many of the incidents, she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs supplied by her attackers. Judge Sophie McKone told the defendants: “Each and every one of you groomed a vulnerable victim.”
The group received the following sentences: Mohammed Shehban, 42, of Wyvern Place, Halifax, 14 years for two rapes; Amazar Ali, 54, of Longroyd Place, Paddock, Huddersfield, 10 years for two counts of sexual activity with a child; Adal Manaf, 48, of Cavendish Terrace, Halifax, eight years for rape; Imran Hussain, 50, of Parkinson Lane, Halifax, seven years for attempted rape; Naveed Anjum, 50, of King Cross Road, Halifax, five-and-a-half years for sexual activity with a child; and Mohammed Adnan, 44, of Stirling Street, Halifax, four-and-a-half years for sexual assault.
That gives a total prison term of 49 years. All six men will be on the sex offenders register for life and will also be subject to an indefinite restraining order. The court heard that the victim’s childhood innocence had been taken from her and that she has suffered lifelong trauma, including nightmares, severe anxiety, PTSD, shame, guilt and self-blame.
In her statement read to the court, the victim said the abuse was “a violation” that left deep scars and changed her life in ways she is still trying to understand. She said she had been manipulated, controlled and plied with drugs and alcohol by adult men who made her feel special and loved, but that it was “all an illusion” used to exploit her.
Judge McKone said Shehban raped the girl when she was drunk and unable to consent, and drove her to a rural area to abuse her. Ali, described as a drug dealer, was said to have exploited the chaos in the victim’s life and had sex with such force that she needed hospital treatment. Manaf drove her to a remote location after she had taken drink and cannabis and raped her, while Hussain groomed her into believing he was her boyfriend. Anjum had sex with her in a flat above a taxi office, and Adnan gave her temazepam so she was unconscious when he attacked her.
Police and prosecutors praised the victim’s courage in supporting the case and said the passage of time was no barrier to justice. DCI Claire Smith of Calderdale Police said the survivor had shown “outstanding bravery” in helping bring the men before the courts, while CPS specialist prosecutor Bethany Raine said the victim’s determination had been crucial in securing convictions and that the men had finally been held accountable for their “appalling crimes.”