In a men-to-death-armed-robbery/” title=”Ondo Court Hands Down Death Sentences to Two … for Daring Armed Robbery”>significant ruling at a Manchester court in the United Kingdom, seven men have been handed prison sentences ranging from 12 to 35 years for the prolonged sexual exploitation of two teenage girls in Rochdale, northern England, spanning from 2001 to 2006.
The longest sentence was given to Mohammed Zahid, a 65-year-old market trader identified as the leader of the group. He was found guilty of numerous counts of rape and other sexual offenses against both victims.
Alongside Zahid, six other men aged between 39 and 67 were convicted after a four-month trial that concluded in June.
This group was later labeled by UK media as part of “grooming gangs,” a term that has been controversially used in public debates, particularly by far-right factions, to stigmatize British Asian and Muslim communities.
The two girls, strangers to each other before the abuse, were both just 13 years old when the exploitation began.
Evidence presented by prosecutors revealed that the victims, both from unstable family environments, were initially lured with gifts, money, and shelter. The abuse intensified as they were transported to various locations around Rochdale, where they were given alcohol and drugs before being sexually assaulted by members of the group.
During the three-day sentencing hearing, both victims shared impact statements. One detailed how the abuse had deeply affected her physical and mental well-being and her capacity to build relationships. The other victim expressed that she had come to believe all men expected sex from her and encouraged other survivors to speak out, regardless of how much time had elapsed.
This case is part of a broader series of legal actions addressing historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, which first gained public attention in the early 2010s. Both local authorities and the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have admitted to failing in their responsibilities to protect the victims.
In April 2022, Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of GMP, publicly apologized, acknowledging the force’s “borderline incompetence” in handling the matter. A government-commissioned report from the same year criticized the police and local institutions for ignoring warnings and downplaying the ethnic aspects of child sexual exploitation.
A 2014 report estimated that at least 1,400 victims had been exploited by men predominantly of Pakistani descent in similar cases.
Nonetheless, it is important to note that the majority of sexual offenses in the UK are committed by white men.
The topic resurfaced in the UK earlier this year when US entrepreneur Elon Musk used his X platform to accuse Prime Minister Keir Starmer of complicity, citing his previous role as head of the Crown Prosecution Service. The government firmly denied these claims.
Subsequently, several public figures exploited the issue, explicitly connecting the offenders’ ethnicity to their crimes and blaming a culture of leniency towards minorities for obstructing investigations, despite evidence contradicting these assertions.
Far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, has frequently campaigned on this subject, blaming the UK’s Muslim community and alleging a government cover-up. Musk supported Robinson, believing he was exposing the truth, despite Robinson’s history of multiple convictions.
Musk and some politicians called for a fresh national inquiry into the so-called rape gangs. Initially, Starmer stated that an inquiry had already been conducted and its recommendations needed implementation but later shifted to support new investigations.
Starmer told the BBC that a transparent inquiry would help restore public trust in authorities, describing it as a “practical, common-sense way of doing politics.”
In June, Baroness Louise Casey released a preliminary report highlighting the poor quality and frequent absence of data on the issue, making it challenging to determine if any ethnic group was disproportionately involved.
Casey noted, “When examining data on child exploitation suspects and offenders, there is a disproportionate representation of individuals of Asian heritage. However, for child abuse overall, white men are not disproportionately represented.”
Following the report, then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed the government’s acceptance of its recommendations, including strengthening rape laws and enhancing child protection measures.
Addressing the House of Commons in June, Cooper emphasized, “While more comprehensive national data is essential, we must confront these findings head-on. As Baroness Casey stated, ignoring these issues or failing to expose them allows the criminal actions of a minority to be exploited to marginalize entire communities.”
