CALDERDALE GANG JAILED FOR GROOMING AND ABUSING GIRLS
A gang of fifteen men involved in grooming and sexually abusing teenage girls in Halifax has been sentenced to prison terms.Their convictions for child sex offences, including rape, grooming, and trafficking, came after three trials at Leeds Crown Court.
The prosecutors commended the bravery of the two victims who provided evidence against the men.
The longest sentence was 25 years, issued in what was characterized as a complex and extensive investigation.
Between 2009 and 2011, the group abused a young girl in Halifax and Bradford, with the Crown Prosecution Service stating these crimes included sexual assault and systematic exploitation.
Another girl also testified about being sexually assaulted by one of the gang members.
Peter Mann of the Crown Prosecution Service’s complex casework unit for Yorkshire and Humberside noted: "These individuals are responsible for a variety of crimes involving child sexual exploitation and abuse." "One victim was assaulted in a vehicle.
The other was groomed and exploited over time by older men, some acting together and grooming her while supplying her with alcohol and drugs, and others exploiting her alone," he explained.
West Yorkshire Police stated that the abuse was first reported in 2012 by a 15-year-old girl living in Halifax, with a second girl later giving evidence against another gang member.
The central victim was 13 at her initial abuse and came from a troubled family life marked by substance dependency, leading to her being placed in social care.
Today, she is 21, living with a baby and far from her home in Calderdale.
Police emphasized that this case represents "the largest and longest-running investigation into child sexual exploitation in Calderdale," involving extensive interviewing, statement collection, and evidence gathering.
A total of 25 men faced charges, but during proceedings, four were acquitted by a jury, and three were cleared on judge’s orders.
Mr.
Mann praised the victims’ courage in reporting and testifying.
Haaris Ahmed, 32, from Halifax, received a sentence of 12 and a half years after being found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a minor and supplying Class B drugs.
