A Pakistani grooming gang predominantly in the UK has been sentenced to a combined 277 years in prison after an investigation into the sexual abuse of vulnerable girls in Kirklees, West Yorkshire. The offences committed between 1995 and 2003 resulted in 20 people, aged between 45 and 87, being brought before the courts and now face the sentence. According to reports, victims as young as 12 were repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted, with some also being supplied Class A drugs. The final trial concluded in September 2024, while sentencing hearings took place last year.
Who Are Pakistani Grooming Gang Offenders?
Among those jailed was Ansar Mahmood Qayum, 49, who had already been sentenced to 20 years in prison just over two years ago for four rapes and an indecent assault in a separate case. He received an additional 10 years for three further rapes and two more indecent assaults, taking his total prison sentence to 30 years.
The longest individual sentence in the investigation was handed to Sajid Majid, 53, from Mirfield, who was jailed for 28 years for five rapes and three indecent assaults.
Manaf Hussain, 51, from Heckmondwike, was sentenced to 25 years for six counts of rape and supplying Class A drugs.
Tariq Azam, 57, from Dewsbury, was jailed for 24 years for five rapes and four indecent assaults.
Zulfiqar Ali, 47, from Dewsbury, received a sentence of 22 years and six months for four rapes.
Aurrangzeb Azam, 56, also from Dewsbury, was sentenced to 20 years for ten rapes and one indecent assault.
Shakeel Haq, 58, from Birmingham, was jailed for 19 years for three rapes and false imprisonment.
Rafiq Patel, 73, from Batley, received 18 years for two rapes.
Zaheed Ali Novsarka, 58, from Batley, was also sentenced to 18 years for two rapes.
Mohammed Sheikh, 53, from Batley, was jailed for 14 years for two rapes and two indecent assaults.
Mohammed Yasin, 52, from Batley, received a 14-year sentence for one rape and two indecent assaults.
Liaquat Hussain Hanif, 49, from Batley, was sentenced to 12 years and six months for two rapes and supplying Class A drugs.
Ebrahim Mananiat, 56, from Batley, was jailed for 12 years for two rapes.
Ibrahim Khalifa, 87, from Bradford, was sentenced to 11 years for two rapes.
Shafiq Siddique, 56, from Dewsbury, received 11 years for rape.
Mohammed Munir Shaffi, 48, from Dewsbury, was jailed for nine years for two rapes.
Mohammed Ishtiaq Hussain, 51, from Dewsbury, was sentenced to eight years for rape.
Abbas Kaji, 57, from Batley, received seven years for rape.
Tasawar Hussain, 46, from Dewsbury, was sentenced to three years for rape.
Donna Lynn, 45, from Cleckheaton, the only woman convicted in the case, was jailed for three years for controlling prostitution.
Two other men were found by the court to have committed the offences they were accused of but were deemed unfit to enter pleas.
Scrutiny Of Grooming Gang Cases
The Kirklees convictions are the latest in a series of grooming gang investigations across northern England involving historical child sexual abuse cases.
Several past investigations have drawn criticism over failures by authorities to act sooner, amid concerns that fears of triggering accusations of racism contributed to inaction.
In January 2024, a report into grooming gangs in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, concluded that vulnerable girls had been “left at the mercy” of paedophile gangs for years because of serious failings by senior police officers and council officials.
The 173-page review, which examined the period between 2004 and 2013, detailed repeated investigative failures by Greater Manchester Police and what was described as indifference by local authorities toward the abuse suffered by hundreds of children.
That report followed similar studies into grooming in Manchester and Oldham, where investigators also concluded that authorities had failed to protect children from sexual exploitation.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, which published its final report in 2022, described child sexual abuse in England and Wales as an “epidemic that leaves tens of thousands of victims in its poisonous wake.”
Survivors Praised For Courage
Detectives involved in the investigation described the abuse suffered by the victims as horrific and systematic.
DCI Rob Stevens, of Kirklees District Police, said the girls had been treated as “commodities for the gratification of heartless predators”.
He said, “This has been a major investigation into truly appalling sexual abuse of vulnerable girls in Kirklees by a large number of sexual predators.
“Over an almost two year period, juries have heard some shocking revelations about the dreadful way victims were abused by those involved.
“They were repeatedly sexually assaulted, in some cases given Class A drugs, and very much treated as commodities for the gratification of heartless predators.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
