RIYASTH HUSSAIN

A rapist has faced justice 20 years after committing his crimes, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Riyasth Hussain In 2019, officers from Operation Stovewood, the NCA’s investigation into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, arrested Riyasth Hussain, 45, after identifying he had twice raped a girl of around 13 years of age in the 2000s.

The victim, now in her 30s, confirmed that she had been raped by a man who she knew by the nickname ‘Riaz’ but whose real name was Riyasth.

Investigators subsequently identified this man as Hussain.

The woman told officers that she first met Hussain between 2004 and 2006, during an incident in which she was being verbally abused by a man on a street in Rotherham.

Hussain – then aged around 24 – had pulled up in a car and offered to help the girl.

At a later date Hussain again stopped his car beside the girl on a street, and the victim agreed to get into the vehicle.

Hussain then drove to an empty industrial estate, where he pulled the girl out of the car and raped her.

Afterwards, Hussain drove off, leaving the victim on her own.

Hussain raped the girl a second time after arranging to meet her.

He again drove her to a desolate location – this time a field – where he raped her inside his car.

The woman gave officers a description of the man, who she also recalled had connections to a local taxi firm, and the officers began carrying out enquiries to identify him.

Meanwhile, as part of a separate enquiry, Operation Stovewood investigators also spoke to a woman who reported being raped by a man in 2008 when she was in her 20s.

She told officers that while staying at a friend’s home one night she was disturbed by the sound of people arriving at the property.

A short while afterwards, a group of people entered her room.

Soon after, and without warning, a man that the woman did not know raped her.

The woman was able to recall a small number of details about her attacker, including his physical appearance and the car he had driven to and from the house in.

Officers working from this limited information were nonetheless able to gather corroborating evidence and identify that the perpetrator was also Hussain.

Both victims were later able to identify him in an identification procedure.

Hussain was found guilty of raping both victims, following a week-long trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

for which he was today [19 February] sentenced to eight years’ and 12 years’ imprisonment, to run consecutively.