Twenty men jailed for child rape and sexual abuse in Calderdale

Twenty men have been convicted of raping and abusing four girls in Calderdale. West Yorkshire Police has said.

The men have been sentenced to a total of 219 years in prison in connection with sexual abuse carried out between 2001 and 2010, against four girls aged 12 to 16.

The abuse came to light during a series of trials and extensive police investigation into allegations first received in 2016.

West Yorkshire Police said it announced the convictions on Wednesday after judicial restrictions put in place to protect legal proceedings were lifted, allowing them to share details of three investigations where trials have now concluded.

Detective Chief Inspector Claire Smith said: “Firstly, I would like to recognize the sheer courage of the victims and survivors in each of these investigations – not only for having the courage to come forward in the first place, but also for enduring the criminal justice system ​​and the weight of criminal proceedings and reporting restrictions in place.

“Due to legal restrictions, it has not been possible to announce these results until now. I welcome the sentences imposed on these perpetrators for the horrific abuse to which these young girls have been subjected, which has been heard by jurors in every trial in recent years.

“Tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse is a top priority for West Yorkshire Police and our partners. This is an abhorrent crime that will have a lifelong impact on the victims and survivors.”

The first investigation was launched in 2016 into the sexual abuse and exploitation of two girls aged 13 and 16, which took place in Calderdale between 2006 and 2009.

Nine Halifax men 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 years old, were found guilty of rape and making death threats. Both were sentenced to 11 years.

Sajid Adalat, 48, and Shazad Nazir, 49, were sentenced to seven 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 former and the latter both appealed against their sentences, which were increased to 14 years and 14 years and 6 months respectively.

The second investigation was also launched in 2016 following reports of a vulnerable girl who was repeatedly abused between 2002 and 2006, starting when she was 13 years old.

In an initial trial at Bradford Crown Court, Amir Shaban, 48, from Halifax, was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years.

In a second trial that began in October 2022, six Halifax men – Malik Quadeer, 67, Mohammed Ziarab, 55, Imran Raja Yasin, 45, Kamran Amin, 48, Mohammed Akhtar, 54, and Saquab Hussain, 46 – were jailed for rape . Quadeer was found guilty of five rapes and sentenced to 22 years.

In a third trial that started in January, three men were each convicted of two counts of rape. Haroon Sadiq, 40, from Halifax, was sentenced to 10 years, while Shafiq Ali Rafiq, 44, from Dewsbury, received 12 years, and Sarfraz Rabnawaz, 39, from Bradford, was sentenced to 9 years.

The third investigation started 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 highlighting the prosecution of these perpetrators will serve as a reminder that we will continue to do all we can to put perpetrators behind bars and protect victims and survivors.

“It is never too late to report child sexual abuse. I encourage anyone who was abused as a child to talk to someone and seek support. Reports of non-recent abuse are handled by officers who are specially trained in supporting victims and survivors and dealing with such sensitive cases.”

The latest prosecutions come after fifteen men were jailed for child abuse in 2016. care gangs in Calderdale.

The following year, victims and investigators warned that gangs across the country were repeating the organized abuse that had previously been exposed Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford And Newcastle.

Operation Sanctuary, which investigated grooming gangs operating in Northumberland and Tyne and Weir identified more than 700 potential victims from August 2017.

Rape Crisis provides 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).