A GROOMING gang who raped and abused two teens in Rochdale in a five-year reign of terror have been jailed.
The seven men “passed” the victims around for sex and preyed on them in squalid flats and car parks in the town.
The two girls were abused in Rochdale[/caption]
They groomed the girls from the age of 13 and made them their “sex slaves” by plying them with gifts, including alcohol and drugs.
The victims both had “deeply troubled home lives”, which meant they were easy prey for the fiends.
During a five-year horror ordeal, the girls were expected to have sex “whenever and wherever” the defendants and other men wanted.
As well as flats and car parks, the predators abused the teens on rancid mattresses, in cars, alleyways and disused warehouses.
Mohammed Zahid, 64, Kasir Bashir, 50, Mushtaq Ahmed, 66, Roheez Khan, 39, Mohammed Shahzad, 43, Nisar Hussain, 43, and Naheem Akram, 48, were today jailed.
Three of the abusers, Zahid, Ahmed and Bashir were born in Pakistan and worked as stallholders on Rochdale’s indoor market.
Father-of-three Zahid – known as Boss Man – gave free underwear from his lingerie stall to both victims.
He was previously jailed for five years after he engaged in sexual activity in 2006 with a 15-year-old girl who he met when she visited his stall to buy tights for school.
Bashir did not attend the current trial after he absconded while on bail before the trial got under way.
It can also be reported that Shahzad, Akram and Hussain were remanded in custody with their bail revoked in January before the jury was sworn in.
Police received intelligence that the three Rochdale-born taxi drivers were planning to leave the UK and had already paid a deposit for their transport.
While Pakistani-born Khan was one of five men convicted of sexually exploiting a “profoundly vulnerable” 15-year-old girl in 2008 and 2009, it can now be revealed.
Zahid was found guilty of 20 offences including rape, indecency with a child, and attempting to procure a girl into having unlawful sexual intercourse.
Bashir was convicted of rape and indecency with a child, while Ahmed was guilty of nine offences including rape.
Khan was convicted of rape, alongside Shahzad, Hussain and Akram.
Hundreds of vulnerable young girls were exploited by Asian men in Rochdale in a nationwide scandal.
Full list of convictions for grooming gang
Mohammed Zahid convicted of ten counts of rape; four counts of indecency with a child; five counts of procuring a girl under 21 to have unlawful sexual intercourse; and one count of attempt to procure a girl under 21 to have unlawful sexual intercourse.
Kasir Bashir convicted of two counts of rape; and two counts of indecency with a child.
Mushtaq Ahmed convicted of four counts of rape; four counts of indecency with a child; and one count of procuring a girl under 21 to have unlawful sexual intercourse.
Roheez Khan convicted of one count of rape.
Mohammed Shahzad convicted of five counts of rape; and one count of assault by penetration.
Nisar Hussain convicted of two counts of rape; and one count of assault by penetration.
Naheem Akram convicted of six counts of rape; and one count of assault by penetration
A report in 2024, which covers 2004 to 2013, identified 96 men still deemed a potential risk to children – but most of these are yet to be prosecuted.
There were also at least 74 children being sexually exploited – and in 48 of those cases there were serious failures to protect the child.
It also detailed other examples that showed “compelling evidence” of widespread, organised sexual abuse of children in Rochdale from as early as 2004 onwards.
It wasn’t until 2010 – more than two years later – that GMP finally launched Operation Span into the abuse claims.
GMP confirmed a total of 32 fiends have now been jailed for 300 years as part of two major investigations into Rochdale.
Mohammed Zahid was convicted of sexual abuse in Rochdale[/caption]
Kasir Bashir was among the men jailed today[/caption]
Mushtaq Ahmed worked on a market stall[/caption]
Khan was previously convicted over another grooming trial[/caption]
Akram was one of the seven men sentenced today[/caption]
Hussain was jailed for his part in the abuse[/caption]
Shahzad had plotted to flee the country[/caption]
