Seven men who raped and abused two teenage girls in a five-year reign of terror in Rochdale, United Kingdom, have been jailed for a total of 174 years. The ringleader, Mohammed Zahid, received a 35-year sentence.The men groomed the two girls, identified in court only as Girl A and Girl B, from the age of 13. They gave them alcohol, drugs, and gifts before treating them as “sex slaves.” .OLDCORN: Truth and Reconciliation Day: A national farce masquerading as mourning.The victims, who had deeply troubled home lives and were known to social services, were expected to have sex “wherever and whenever” the men wanted.The abuse occurred between 2001 and 2006 in slumlike locations, including filthy flats, cars, car parks, alleyways, and on rancid mattresses in warehouses.The two victims did not know each other but were exploited separately by the same group of men..At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Judge Jonathan Seely said the girls had been “passed around for sex — abused, humiliated, degraded and then discarded.” Seely stated that both girls were “seriously let down by those whose job it was to protect them.”Mohammed Zahid, 65, known as “Boss Man,” was a stallholder in Rochdale Indoor Market. He gave the girls free underwear from his lingerie stall, along with money, alcohol, and food, expecting regular sex in return for himself and his friends. .EDITORIAL: Alberta teachers turn down a dream deal — and hold families over a barrel.The court heard he became so brazen he would pick up Girl B from her home, feeling “almost untouchable.”Zahid was found guilty of 20 offences, including multiple counts of rape.The other convicted men are Kasir Bashir, 50, sentenced to 29 years; Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, sentenced to 27 years; Mohammed Shahzad, 44, sentenced to 26 years; Naheem Akram, 49, sentenced to 26 years; Nisar Hussain, 41, sentenced to 19 years; and Roheez Khan, 39, sentenced to 12 years. .Bashir was sentenced in his absence after he skipped bail before the trial.In emotional impact statements, Girl A said the abuse had “destroyed my life.” Girl B urged other victims to come forward, saying, “It doesn’t matter how much time has gone by, it is still possible to get justice.”.EDITORIAL: Christianity is under siege while Liberals look away.Rochdale Council and Greater Manchester Police have apologized for their failings in not protecting the girls. The convictions were part of Operation Lytton, an ongoing investigation into historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale.
