Rotherham men on the run jailed for decades over rape of teenage girl

Rotherham men on the run jailed for decades over rape of teenage girl Police are searching for two of the three men who fled while on bail awaiting their trial - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Three men have been jailed for raping a teenage girl who was groomed, trafficked and exploited in Rotherham more than 15 years ago. The sentences passed at Sheffield Crown Court totalled 25, 23 and 10 years. Mudasar Hussain and Kamir Ifzal Khan, both 37, were not in court to hear a judge describe how they wrecked the childhood of their vulnerable victim. Both are on the run, having absconded while on bail awaiting their trial. The third defendant, Ghazanfar Hussain, 42, was the only one of the three in the dock. He is the brother of Mudasar Hussain. The victim, who is now in her 30s, described in a statement read to the court how “no sentence of imprisonment by this court can give back my childhood, my peace of mind or the years I have spent living in fear”. On Friday, Judge Sarah Wright jailed Mudasar Hussain for 23 years in his absence, after he was found guilty of 12 counts of rape earlier this week. Khan was jailed for 25 years, also in his absence, after he was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Ghazanfar Hussain received a 10-year sentence after he was found guilty of one rape. The judge said the girl was “cynically and manipulatively groomed” and subjected to a “campaign of rape”. She said the complainant's “bravery beyond measure” in coming forward stood in stark contrast to actions of the two defendants who absconded. Judge Wright said of the victim, who watched the sentencing from behind a curtain: “She is clearly a remarkable woman.” And the judge added: “Finally, she has been heard.” The National Crime Agency (NCA) has appealed for information to help find Mudasar Hussain and Khan, at least one of whom is believed to be in Pakistan. In her personal statement read to the court, the woman described how she was a “vulnerable, troubled girl” when she was raped by the men between the ages of 13 and 15. She said she had been a happy and bubbly child until the abuse began. The woman said: “Piece by piece every bit of my happiness faded away. My dignity was stolen from me.” The said the “pain fear and trauma” she suffered as a child continued into her adult life and she spent 10 years trapped inside her house “living in fear”. Addressing the absent Khan, she said she had been “something to be passed around then returned to you – a belonging of yours rather than a vulnerable child”. She said: “The fact that you could not face me in court speaks volumes. I will continue to speak the truth about what happened to me and ensure your actions are never forgotten.” “I’m proud that I found the strength to come forward and tell the truth.” She said she has finally been seen as a victim and a survivor rather than a “nuisance kid on the street”. The woman said the trial process was “terrifying” and said, when she was asked by a barrister in court “if I wished I did better at school”, that this “drove a knife through my heart”. “Oh my God, how dare he,” she said in her statement. She explained how she had ambitions before she met the defendants and: “I will always live with the guilt of losing my education.” Judge Wright cleared the public gallery before the sentencing began after hearing how NCA officers and a prosecutor had been abused by members of the public at the end of the trial on Thursday. She told the defendants how “each of you took advantage of her vulnerability and preyed upon it for your own ends”, when the offending happened between 2008 and 2010. Judge Wright said: “She is clearly a remarkable young woman who has managed to turn her life around and is focused on her children, particularly in protecting them.” She said: “She has shown bravery beyond measure in speaking about such intimate and traumatic experiences, and exposing herself to intrusion and questioning. “Her bravery is in stark contrast to the behaviour of Mudasar Hussain and Kamir Khan, who have each fled and failed to attend their trial.” Judge Wright told the defendants: “You have each caused immeasurable suffering and far-reaching harm.” The judge outlined how Mudasar Hussain groomed and systematically raped the girl over a period of up to 18 months, when he was between 19 and 21, plying her with drugs and alcohol. She described how Khan was about 20 or 21 when he “groomed and exploited” the girl, raping her at various addresses and trying to persuade her to have sex with other men. Khan left her at one house where she was forcibly raped by another, older man, because the defendant “owed him a favour”, the judge said. The judge said she also took into account that Khan has subsequent convictions for sexual offences committed against an 11-year-old girl. Addressing Ghazanfar Hussain, Judge Wright said she accepted he was convicted of one rape only, but she described how this happened in a garage inspection pit when the girl was “effectively a prisoner”. The NCA said its officers are working to locate the two men who absconded and are now appealing to the public for any information that could help. Mudasar Hussain was on bail awaiting trial and had surrendered his passport. An NCA spokesman said that, while he may still be in the UK, it is also possible that he has left the country illegally. Khan is known to have fled the country on a flight to Qatar on September 22, the NCA said. Investigators believe he travelled on to Pakistan. The trio were arrested as part of Operation Stovewood, the huge NCA investigation set up in 2014 in the wake of the Rotherham child exploitation scandal. The NCA says Stovewood has identified and supported around 1,150 potential victims, securing 60 convictions against 55 people.