Judge to sentence paedophile ring in the UK
Seven members of a sadistic paedophile ring will appear in court for sentencing today after being found guilty of grooming vulnerable underage girls for sexual exploitation.
Two sets of brothers, Akhtar Dogar, 32, and Anjum Dogar, 31, and Mohammed Karrar, 38, and Bassam Karrar, 33, were convicted along with Kamar Jamil, 27, Assad Hussain, 32, and Zeeshan Ahmed, 27, of charges including rape, trafficking and organising prostitution.
They were found guilty last month following a five-month trial at the Old Bailey during which the jury was told the gang sexually exploited girls as young as 11 between 2004 and last year in the Oxford area.
After the verdicts were announced, Judge Peter Rook told them that long custodial sentences were inevitable.
Police missed several chances to catch gang members who plucked the girls from the streets and care homes to be drugged, raped and sold into prostitution.
Some victims relived their ordeals during the trial – describing how they were groomed, beaten, betrayed and sold into prostitution around the country.
One was still so frightened of her attacker that she initially refused to give evidence for fear he would hurt her again.
She had been raped and prostituted at 11 by a man who bought her little gifts and showed her the first affection she had known.
Another victim complained of her plight to police on two occasions but no one was charged.
Police and social workers were forced to apologise for not protecting the girls.
The girls had been put into care because their behaviour was out of control and for their own protection.
Time after time, they disappeared from children’s homes and were caught with older men by police, but the exploitation continued.
Girls were either threatened that they or their families would be harmed, or brainwashed into thinking they were betraying their lover if they talked to police.
All except two of the men were of Pakistani origin. The Karrar brothers were from north Africa.
The trial followed the jailing last year of Asian men in Rochdale for abusing vulnerable girls, another case where chances to stop the gang were missed.
Earlier this year, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Crown Prosecution Service announced new measures to change and improve their response to sexual offending, particularly involving children.
Police have arrested a further nine men from the Oxford area under Operation Bullfinch.
Mohammed Karrar was found guilty of 18 offences, including rape of a child under 13 and procuring an abortion, conspiracy to rape, child prostitution and trafficking.
Akhtar Dogar was found guilty of 11 offences including rape, child prostitution and trafficking.
Anjum Dogar was found guilty of 9 offences including rape, child prostitution and trafficking.
Bassam Karrar was found guilty of 9 offences including rape of a child under 13, conspiracy to rape a girl under 13, child prostitution and trafficking.
Kamar Jamil was convicted of 8 offences including rape, conspiracy to rape and child prostitution.
Assad Hussain and Zeeshan Ahmed were each convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child.
The sentencing at the Old Bailey is expected to last two days.
