Hege Storhaug, HRS
Dommeren var ikke nådig i sine karakteristikker av grusomhetene gjengen på ni medlemmer har på rullebladet, omtalt her tidligere i dag. ”Dere behandlet tenåringsofre som om de var verdiløse,” mente dommeren. Motivet beskrev dommeren slik: ”Begjær og grådighet.” Dommeren mente også at mangelen på respekt for jentene skyltes at de ikke ”var del av deres samfunn eller religion”.
Det er vel nettopp dette som kan kalles rasisme.
Opening his sentencing remarks, Judge Gerald Clifton dismissed the defendants’ claims that they were arrested by racist police.
He told them: ‘All of you treated (the victims) as though they were worthless and beyond respect.
‘One of the factors leading to that was the fact that they were not part of your community or religion.
‘Some of you, when arrested, said it was triggered by race. That is nonsense. What triggered this prosecution was your lust and greed.’
Gjenglederen er den eneste som ikke navngis og avbildes i media, av juridiske årsaker som ikke oppgis.
Her er fortløpende de andre dommene:
1. Takeaway worker Kabeer Hassan, 25, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, was jailed for nine years for rape and three years, concurrently, for the conspiracy conviction. The 59-year-old ordered the first victim to have sex with Hassan as a ‘treat’ for his birthday. He raped the girl, who was then aged 15.
2. Taxi driver Abdul Aziz, 41, of Rochdale, was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy and nine years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation. The married father-of-three took over from the 59-year-old as the main trafficker of the victims and was paid by various men to supply girls for sex.
3. Married father-of-five Abdul Rauf, 43, of Rochdale, was jailed for six years for conspiracy and six years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation.The religious studies teacher at a local mosque asked a 15-year-victim if she had any younger friends and would drive some of the girls to other men, who would use them for sex, despite knowing they were underage.
4. Mohammed Sajid, 35, of Rochdale, was sentenced to 12 years for rape, six years for conspiracy, one year for trafficking and six years, all concurrent, for sexual activity with a child. Known as ‘Saj’, he would regularly ply victims with alcohol before having sex with them at his flat, where groups of men would gather and ‘pass around’ the girls. He will be deported back to Pakistan following the conclusion of his sentence.
5. Adil Khan, 42, of Rochdale, was given eight years for conspiracy and eight years, concurrently, for trafficking for sexual exploitation. Khan, who is married with one child, fathered the child of a 13-year-old victim who believed she was in love with him.
6. Mohammed Amin, 45, of Rochdale, was sentenced to five years for conspiracy and 12 months, concurrently, for sexual assault.He was a driver for Eagle Taxis for 14 years and was known as ‘Car Zero’. He is married with school aged children.
7. Abdul Qayyum, 44, of Rochdale, was jailed for five years for conspiracy. He was a driver for Streamline Taxis in Middleton, Greater Manchester, and was known by the name ‘Tiger’.
8. Illegal immigrant Hamid Safi, 22, of no fixed address, was jailed for four years for conspiracy and one year, concurrently, for trafficking. He sneaked into the UK on a lorry in 2008 and claimed to have fled Afghanistan because his uncle was murdered by the Taliban. He was released from a detention centre in Birmingham in March 2009 when he moved to Rochdale. Safi will be deported back to Afghanistan following his sentence.