Rochdale grooming gang ringleader jailed for 35 years

Grooming Gang Boss Jailed for 35 Years

A Rochdale grooming gang boss who assaulted two schoolgirls has been jailed for 35 years. Mohammed Zahid, 65, known as 'Boss Man', gave the girls gifts from his market stall, such as free underwear, in exchange for regular sexual access for himself and other men.

The father-of-three was one of seven men convicted in June of a slew of sexual offences committed between 2001 and 2006, and was described as showing a "chilling disregard" for his victims. Also receiving lengthy prison sentences at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court were Mohammed Shahzad, 50, Mohammed Shahazad, 44, Naheem Akram, 49, Nisar Hussain, 41, and Roheez Khan, 39.

'Appalling' Abuse

The court heard how the girls were sexually assaulted in filthy flats, car parks, alleyways, and disused warehouses in the Greater Manchester town. They were treated as "sex slaves" and were expected to have sex with the men whenever and wherever they were told. The court was told both girls had "deeply troubled home lives", were plied with alcohol and drugs, and were ordered to stay with the men.

Judge Jonathan Seely described the girls' treatment at the hands of the "predatory" men as "appalling".

"They were abused, degraded, and then discarded," he said. "It would have been obvious to these men that [the girls] needed the attention that their home lives didn't provide. They felt they had little or no choice but to submit to the almost incessant sexual abuse meted out to them."

The court heard that the men all worked either on the market or as taxi drivers.

Victims Let Down by Authorities

"There were so many people it was impossible to keep track," Victim A told the court, explaining she may have been preyed on by hundreds of men as her phone number was passed around.

Victim B, who was living in a children's home when she first came into contact with the men, said that police and social workers knew what was happening but were "not concerned enough to do anything about it".

"It was in my file when I opened it up. I read it," the woman, now in her 30s, told the court. "[The file said] I was apprehended by the police for loitering and prostituting from the age of 10."

Social services and police have since apologised for their past failings regarding the girls.

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