Sex predators sentenced to 219 years in prison after raping girls as young as 12 | UK

A sick care gang of 20 men has been jailed for a total of 219 years after being convicted of raping and abusing vulnerable girls as young as 12.

The group, which had not previously been named for legal reasons, can now be identified after the judge lifted reporting restrictions.

The disgusting group, made up of 20 men, sexually abused and exploited four girls aged between 12 and 16 in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, between 2001 and 2010.

The allegations were first made in 2016, prompting police to launch what they called a “highly complex and sensitive investigation into a number of separate allegations.”

In an initial investigation, officers investigated allegations from two girls who said they were victims of sexual abuse and exploitation between 2006 and 2009, when they were just 13 years old.

A third girl came forward later that year claiming she had been abused by the gang at the age of 13, prompting police to launch a second investigation.

Two years later, a third investigation was launched after another victim told how she had been abused at the age of 12 between 2001 and 2002.

Senior Investigating Officer, Chief Inspector Claire Smith of Calderdale District Police, said: “Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the sheer bravery 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 the perpetuation of the criminal justice system and the weight of the criminal trials and reporting restrictions that are 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 at 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.

“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.

He added that it is never too late for victims of sexual abuse to come forward.

He said: “I encourage anyone who was abused as a child to speak 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 sentences, which ranged in length from 7 to 16 years, were handed down after six separate trials between 2021 and 2024.

Two defendants, Nadeem Adalat, 39, and Vaseem Adalat, 38, who stood trial in January 2022, appealed their sentences of 14 and 12 years respectively.

After the appeal, both received an additional two-year sentence.

Five men, all from Halifax, were convicted after the first trial, which began at Bradford Crown Court in October 2021.

They were:

Shahzad Nowaz, 45, was found guilty of rape and making death threats and sentenced to a total of 11 years.
-Nadeem Nassir, 44, who was found guilty of rape and making death threats and sentenced to a total of 11 years.
Sajid Adalat, 48, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to a total of seven years.
Sohail Zaffer, 41, who was found guilty of rape and supplying a class C drug and sentenced to a total of 42 months.
Shazad Nazir, 49, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to a total of 11 years.

In a second trial, which began in January 2022, three other men – also from Halifax – were jailed for their roles.
They were:

Nadeem Adalat, 39, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 14 years, which was increased to a total of 16 years after appeal.
Asad Mahmood, 38, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to a total of 13 years.
Mohammed Rizwan Iqbal, 39, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to a total of nine years.
Vaseem Adalat, 38, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 12 years, which was increased to a total of 14 years and 6 months after appeal.

In 2016, police launched a separate investigation after reports of sexual abuse of a vulnerable young girl between 2002 and 2006, starting when she was 13.

Following a trial in August 2022 at Bradford Crown Court, Amir Shaban, 48, from Halifax, was found guilty of rape and jailed for 10 years.

A second trial of the same victim began at Bradford Crown Court in October 2022 and resulted in the conviction of six other men, all from Halifax.

They were:

Malik Quadeer, 67, was found guilty of five counts of rape and jailed for 22 years.
Mohammed Ziarab, 55, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years.
Imran Raja Yasin, 45, was found guilty of rape and jailed for 10 years.
Kamran Amin, 48, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years.
Mohammed Akhtar, 54, who was found guilty of rape and died in prison after serving an eleven-year sentence.
Saquab Hussain, 46, who was found guilty of rape and sentenced to seven years and six months.

A third trial of the same victim began at Bradford Crown Court in January 2024, resulting in the conviction of a further three men.

They were:

Haroon Sadiq, 40, from Halifax, who was found guilty of two rapes and sentenced to 10 years.
Shafiq Ali Rafiq, 44, from Dewsbury, who was found guilty of two rapes, sentenced to 12 years.
Sarfraz Rabnawaz, 39, from Bradford, who was found guilty of two rapes, sentenced to nine years.

In 2018, an investigation was launched into the sexual abuse of a fourth girl – aged 12 and 13 – in the Calderdale area between 2001 and 2002.

Craig Mitchell, 55, from Halifax, was found guilty of rape at Bradford Crown Court and jailed for up to 12 years.