Crime Solicitors

Sheffield Crown Court has convicted five people on multiple counts relating to the sexual exploitation of 15 victims in Rotherham over a period of 16 years.

Those convicted include three men – Arshid Hussain, his brother Basharat Hussain and their uncle Qurban Ali; as well as two women, Shelley Davies and Karen Macgregor.

The convictions follow an 11-week trial – they are due to be sentenced on Friday (26/02/16).

A fourth man – Bannaras Hussain – entered guilty pleas on the first day of the trial to six counts of indecent assault, one count of rape, one count of aiding and abetting rape, one count of assault and one count of procuring a girl to become a prostitute.

The two other defendants – Sajid Bostan and Majid Bostan – were found not guilty.

The 15 victims were aged between 11 and 21 at the time of the abuse – the offences were committed between 1987 and 2003.

After the hearing on Wednesday, Head of the Complex Casework Unit, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Yorkshire and Humberside, Peter Mann, said:

“The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely with South Yorkshire Police throughout this complex and lengthy investigation, to build a strong case and secure justice for the victims.

“These defendants in their differing ways targeted these teenage girls because they were vulnerable – and then facilitated their systematic sexual abuse.

“The abusers then groomed and sexualised their victims, often subjecting them to acts of a degrading and violent nature – they were mocked and spat at. Some of the violence was extreme and protracted.

“Arshid Hussain, in particular, played a key role – he was domineering and, in some instances, brutal in his treatment of girls. He used them for his own gratification, then often prostituted them or passed them on to his brothers or associates.

“He was assisted in differing ways by the other defendants, each willingly engaging in exploitative behaviour and using the girls to their own ends.

“The physical and psychological suffering these girls have endured is unthinkable. Their trauma is only matched in scale by the extraordinary courage they have displayed in coming forward to report their abuse and give evidence in this trial, so that their abusers can at last be accorded the punishment they deserve.

“These men's actions – and those of the women who facilitated them –
are utterly abhorrent. Such depravity has no place in our society.

“The CPS will continue to work closely with the police to prosecute these complex cases.”

Duncan Lewis Crime Lawyers

Duncan Lewis crime lawyers can advise at any stage of a charge involving sexual offences or historical sexual offences, including charges relating to child sexual exploitation, rape, sexual assault, prostitution, making, downloading or distributing indecent images, or revenge porn.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and a criminal defence lawyer can usually reach a police station for interview under caution within an hour.

For expert legal advice on sexual offences, call Duncan Lewis crime lawyers on 0333 772 0409.

For 24/7 help at a police station, call the Duncan Lewis 24-Hour Emergency Helpline on 0333 772 0607.