Description
Eight men have been convicted of multiple counts of rape and sexual offending against a child in the early 2000s in Bradford.
Anna (which is not the womans real name) was between the ages of 13 and 15 years old at the time of the abuse which took place between 2002 and 2004.
An investigation was launched in 2019 after Anna reported the abuse to police.
Four trials have taken place over the last eight months, however until now they have all been subject to reporting restrictions to protect the integrity of proceedings. Today, the Judge lifted these restrictions.
One man Raja Zulqurnean, 42, of Bradford was found guilty of ten rapes and nine indecent assaults; he was sentenced to 18 years in jail. He was also given a lifetime restraining order, sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.
His sentence was referred to the court of appeal for being unduly lenient, his sentence was increased from 18 years to 23 years.
Those convicted and awaiting sentence are:
- Mohammed Imran Akram, 42, of Bradford was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault
- Mohammed Shezhad Hussain, 39, of Keighley was found guilty of two rapes and three counts of indecent assault
- Basharat Khaliq, 44, of Bradford was found guilty of three rapes and four counts of indecent assaults
- Wajid Hussain, 42, of Bradford was found guilty of indecent assault
- Mohammed Naheem, 39, of Bradford was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault
- Nadeem Ali, 39, of Bradford was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault
- Safraz Ahmed Latif, 40, of Bradford was found guilty of four indecent assaults
They will all be sentenced in due course.
In Annas own words, she said:
I lost vital school academic years; you took away my basic rights and stole my future.
The investigation and trials have been so traumatising, the triumph of this trial has not left me triumphant it has left me feeling pain for the girl I was when you came into my life.
Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Greenbank said:
Annas courage and bravery has been immeasurable; she has had to wait a long time to see these convictions after all these years.
Cases such as these are incredibly sensitive and complex and it has taken years of painstaking investigation to bring these men before the courts.
I would like to take this opportunity to praise Anna for coming forward and reporting these offences to the police and for her patience while the criminal investigation has been ongoing.
If anyone has suffered abuse or has concerns about someone who may be suffering abuse, I would urge them to come forward and speak to us. We will listen to you, investigate all reports, and ensure you have access to any help or support you need.
I hope this sends a clear message that regardless of how long-ago abuse happened we will pursue every avenue to get justice.