A group of men subjected two young girls to “appalling” sexual exploitation over the course of several years in Greater Manchester, which saw them plied with alcohol and drugs and repeatedly raped, a court has heard.
Both struggling with difficult upbringings, they were allegedly targeted by the group and became “beholden” to them, before being forced to carry out sex acts.
Jurors heard that the two girls had “deeply troubled home lives” and were known to the authorities, with poor school attendance and both regularly going missing from home.
As a result, the court was told the young teenagers, aged just 13 at the time, would often hang around with older Asian men at various parks, a snooker hall or at Rochdale market, where they first encountered one of the defendants, Mohammed Zahid, 64, who operated a stall.
Known as Bossman, he had been in his forties when jurors were told he started to give the girls free underwear and money for food before introducing them to his friends.
“Through no fault of their own, their troubled backgrounds made them susceptible to the advances of these men, and others who behaved just like them,” prosecutor Rossano Scamardella KC said.
Over time, jurors heard that they were made to feel “like grown-ups” and were allegedly plied with alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and places to stay, with the defendants accused of providing them with attention “they so desperately craved”.
“These men preyed upon these vulnerabilities for their own perverted sexual gratification, in the most humiliating and degrading way imaginable,” the prosecutor said.
However, in return, the defendants allegedly forced the two girls to perform oral and penetrative sex with multiple men, often in cars, car parks, alleyways and disused warehouses.
The court heard that unprotected sex was routine, and the girls were told it was “forbidden for Muslim men to use protection”.
Mr Scamardella KC described them as “sex slaves”, and claimed they were threatened with humiliating footage, verbally abused and expected to answer calls at all times of the day from the men involved.
In return for sex, Mr Scamardella said the men would often give Girl A as little money as £5 along with a few cigarettes, after allegedly being forced to sleep with multiple men in a “grim, cold, dark basement” with a dirty mattress.
Jurors heard that Girl B had been befriended by one of the defendants who worked as a taxi driver. Mohammed Shahzad is accused of plying her with alcohol, sexually abusing her and introducing him to his friends, fellow taxi drivers, who “teamed up” to abuse her.
“They were passing her around, having collectively groomed her to the point where she knew nothing else, she had no free choice, she was surrendering not consenting,” Mr Scamardella said.
Jurors heard that Girl A had told local children’s services in 2004 that she was “hanging around “with groups of older men, drinking and taking cannabis. But she went on to say she was sleeping with a large number of men after “Bossman” had introduced her to his friends, said Mr Scamardella.
“Both girls were well known to social services and other agencies, and it was no secret that both girls were having sex with older Asian men,” he said.
“No reports were made to the police and nothing was done. No action was taken to stop what was happening to these two girls or to stop other similarly vulnerable girls suffering the same fate.”
After an investigation began into child sexual exploitation in the Rochdale area in 2010, one of the claimants was approached as a potential victim but declined to get involved. She later contacted Greater Manchester Police in 2015 with the second woman also agreeing to take part in the investigation.
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard child sexual exploitation is often underlined by an “imbalance of power”, with young vulnerable victims often feeling ashamed and embarrassed which leads them to continue visiting their abusers.
“These men often have apparent wealth, businesses, nice clothes and flashy cars, and when pitched against vulnerable young girls often starved of affection, money and nice things, that imbalance of power is ruthlessly exploited for depraved sexual gratification,” Mr Scamardella KC said.
He added that Rochdale and other areas of Greater Manchester had been “blighted” by this type of exploitation, with seven major police operations in recent years.
The alleged sexual offences, said to be committed between 2001 and 2006, include multiple counts of rape, indecent assault and indecency with a child.
The eight defendants have denied all the charges.
They are: Mohammed Zahid, 64, of Station Road, Crumpsall, Manchester; Naheem Akram, 48, of Manley, Road, Rochdale; Mohammed Shazad, 43, of Beswicke Royds Street, Rochdale; Nisar Hussain, 43, of Newfield Close, Rochdale; Roheez Khan, 39, of Athole Street, Rochdale; Arfan Khan, 40, of Grouse Street, Rochdale; Mushtaq Ahmed, 66, of Corona Avenue, Oldham; and Kasir Bashir, 50, of Napier Street East, Oldham.
If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call Childline free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331.
