by Twenty men have been jailed for raping and abusing four girls in Calderdale, West Yorkshire Police said.
The men were sentenced to a total of 219 years in prison for sexually abusing four girls aged between 12 and 16 between 2001 and 2010.
The abuse was revealed in a series of trials and extensive police investigations into allegations first received back in 2016.
West Yorkshire Police said they announced the convictions on Wednesday after court restrictions put in place to protect legal proceedings were lifted, allowing them to share details from an investigation which has now concluded trials.
Detective Chief Inspector Claire Smith said: “Firstly, I want to acknowledge the sheer courage of the victims and survivors in all of these investigations – not least for having the courage to come forward initially but also for the perpetuation of the criminal justice system and its importance. criminal trials and reporting restrictions in place.
“Due to legal restrictions, these results could not be made public until now. I welcome the sentences given to these offenders for the abuse of these young girls, which juries have heard in every trial over the past few years.
“Tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse is a high priority for West Yorkshire Police and our partners. This is an appalling crime that affects victims and survivors for life.”
The first investigation was launched in 2016 into the sexual abuse and exploitation of two girls aged 13 to 16, which took place in Calderdale between 2006 and 2009.
Nine men from Halifax were jailed during two trials at Bradford Crown Court.
In the first trial, which began in October 2021, Shahzad Nowaz, 45 years old, and Nadeem Nassir, 44, were found guilty of rape and threats to kill. Both were sentenced to 11 years.
Sajid Adalat, 48, and Shazad Nazir, 49, were sentenced to seven years and 11 years respectively after being convicted of rape. Sohail Zaffer, 41, pleaded guilty to rape and supplying a class C drug, and was sentenced to 42 months.
After a second trial that began in January 2022, Nadeem Adalat, 39, Asad Mahmood, 38, Mohammed Rizwan Iqbal, 39, and Vaseem Adalat, 38, were all found guilty of rape. The first and second appealed the sentences, which were increased respectively to 14 years and 14 years and 6 months.
A second investigation was also launched in 2016 following reports that a vulnerable girl was repeatedly abused between 2002 and 2006, starting when she was 13.
In an initial trial at Bradford Crown Court, Amir Shaban, 48, of Halifax, was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years.
In the second trial which began in October 2022, six men from Halifax – Malik Quadeer, 67, Mohammed Ziarab, 55, Imran Raja Yasin, 45, Kamran Amin, 48, Mohammed Akhtar, 54, and Saquab Hussain, 46 – were tried in prison for rape. Quadeer was found guilty of five counts of rape and sentenced to 22 years.
In the third trial that opened in January, three men were convicted on two counts of rape. Haroon Sadiq, 40, of Halifax, was sentenced to 10 years, while Shafiq Ali Rafiq, 44, of Dewsbury, 12 years, and Sarfraz Rabnawaz, 39, of Bradford, were sentenced to 9 years.
A third investigation was launched in 2018 into a 12-year-old girl who was sexually abused between 2001 and 2002.
Craig Mitchell, 55, of Halifax, was found guilty of rape at a trial in December and sentenced to 12 years.
DCI Smith added: “I hope that the prosecution of these offenders will serve as a reminder that we will continue to do our best to put perpetrators behind bars and protect victims and survivors.
“It’s never too late to report child sexual abuse. I encourage anyone who has been abused as a child to talk to someone and seek support. Reports of abuse that are not recent are handled by officers with special training in supporting victims and survivors and dealing with sensitive cases.”
The latest prosecutions come after 15 men were jailed in 2016 for child sex offenses in what police said at the time was their biggest investigation into grooming gangs in Calderdale.
The following year, victims and investigators warned that grooming gangs across the country were repeating the organized abuse previously exposed in Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford and Newcastle.
Operation Sanctuary, which investigated grooming gangs operating in Northumberland and Tyne and Weir, has identified more than 700 potential victims since August 2017.
Rape Crisis offers support to those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
