CPS News Brief

Rotherham child sexual exploitation gang sentenced to a total of 96 years

Eight men from Rotherham involved in the systematic targeting and sexual exploitation of young girls have today (4 November) been sentenced to a total of 96 years at Sheffield Crown Court.

The defendants were found guilty on 17 October of charges including rape, sexual assault and false imprisonment relating to three victims aged as young as 13 at the time of the offences. The jury convicted all the men on every count.

Peter Mann, Head of the Complex Casework Unit CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, said: 

"These men waged a depraved campaign of sexual violence and intimidation against young girls in the Rotherham area 13 years ago.

"The victims were subjected to the most horrific abuse at the hands of these men. They have shown immense bravery in coming forward and helping us to build a strong prosecution case. As a result, the jury convicted their abusers of every count.

“These men  have now been sentenced to a total of 96 years in prison,  which I hope is of some comfort to their victims.   We  will continue to work closely with the police to prosecute these complex and sensitive cases, and obtain justice for the victims of such appalling crimes."

Notes:

• The eight men went on trial at Sheffield crown court on 12 September 2016 
• All the defendants were prosecuted under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 which was the relevant Act at the time of these offences. 

Sentenced today:

Sageer Hussain, 30,  convicted of four rapes and one indecent assault - jailed for 19 years

Ishtiaq Khaliq, 33, guilty of one rape and three indecent assaults - jailed for 17 years

Waleed Ali, 34,  guilty of one rape and one indecent assault - jailed for 13 years

Masoued Malik, 32,  guilty of one rape, one count of conspiracy to commit indecent assault and one of false imprisonment - jailed for 15 years

Asif Ali, 30, convicted of one rape - jailed for 12 years

Naeem Rafiq, 33, convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit indecent assault and one of false imprisonment - jailed for eight years

Basharat Hussain, 40, convicted of one indecent assault - jailed for seven years

Mohammed Whied, 32, guilty of one count of aiding and abetting rape - jailed for five years

Daniel Sanzone jailed for life for the murder of his 6-week-old son

A 23-year-old father has today been sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 15 years,  after he was found guilty of the murder of his six-week-old son. 

Joshua Millinson was born on 11 October 2015 and on 24 October a call was made to the emergency services to attend a property in Pendeford, Wolverhampton as Joshua had stopped breathing.

Paramedics admitted the baby to New Cross Hospital and then to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where he was assessed as having extensive brain damage.

A month later, on 21 November, life support was withdrawn following a High Court ruling and Joshua passed away in his mother’s arms. 

A post-mortem examination revealed that Joshua’s death was as a result of a head injury and specialist investigations revealed fractures.

The baby’s father, Daniel Sanzone, was arrested and was yesterday (2 November) found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of murder and child cruelty. 

Wendy Bounds, Specialist Crown Prosecutor with the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service’s Complex Casework Unit, said:

“Within the first two weeks of Joshua’s life he was twice taken to hospital by his parents and suffered a fatal head injury inflicted by Daniel Sanzone shaking him.

“Following his death, investigations revealed that he had been injured on at least one previous occasion before the fatal head injury.

“Joshua was a new born baby with his whole life before him but he was killed by his father within weeks of his birth. 

“I hope the jury’s verdict has brought a measure of justice for Joshua and those who supported him and our thoughts are with them.”

Murderer who fled the country sentenced on British soil

Sammy Almahri who strangled his victim in a hotel room in Cardiff was sentenced at the Crown Court today to life imprisonment.

British national Nadine Aburas met New York businessman Sammy Almahri on a dating website, before meeting in person. After killing her Almahri fled to Tanzania where he was arrested and later extradited back to the UK.

 

David Wooler, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service Cymru-Wales, said:

“Nadine Aburas was a popular and caring young woman with a bright future to look forward to. Sammy Almahri’s callous and brutal actions took that future away from her and left her family dealing with the immense distress that resulted from her loss. 

“Having taken Nadine’s life, Almahri immediately sought to avoid responsibility for his actions by fleeing the country. Thanks to a swift and professional multi-agency response he was quickly brought back to Wales, where he has now been made to face up to what he did.

“Today’s sentencing marks the conclusion of the criminal justice process, but we are acutely aware that the process of dealing with Nadine’s loss continues for those close to her. I would like to thank them for their bravery and dignity throughout the investigation and prosecution of this case.”

 

Additional information:

Sammy Almahri was today sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 17 years. He was charged with murder and initially entered a not guilty plea. His trial started at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday 19 October 2016 and the day after, on Thursday 20 October 2016, Almahri changed his plea to guilty.

Alert: further fake witness summons emails

It has come to the attention of the Crown Prosecution Service that emails have been received by members of the public this morning (Thur 3 Nov) which falsely claim to be from the CPS. These emails include a summons to appear as a witness in court. Identical emails were sent out on Thursday 27 October.

The CPS does not email witnesses in order to summons them to court. 

If you have received this email, please delete it and do not click on any of the links enclosed.

Man convicted of aiding illegal entry into the UK

A 31-year-old man has been given a six month prison sentence after pleading guilty to arranging the illegal entry into the United Kingdom of two Iraqi nationals from France.  

On 20 November 2015, a member of the public contacted the police when they saw two men exit the roof of a lorry which had stopped at industrial premises in Redditch. 

Officers searched the area and stopped a car at a nearby car park. In the back of the car were the two Iraqi men who had exited the lorry. 

The driver, Ahmed Rasouli from Leicester, was arrested. Police also recovered £2,910 in cash.

Earlier in the month the defendant had corresponded with the two Iraqis before visiting Calais, France where arrangements were made for them to enter the UK. 

On 19 November, the two Iraqi nationals accessed a lorry whilst its doors were unlocked and hid in the vehicle’s trailer until they arrived in Redditch.  

The defendant was charged with an act to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law by a non-EU person. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on 1 November. 

Jason Corden-Bowen, District Crown Prosecutor from West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: 

“Ahmed Rasouli travelled to France and planned the illegal entry into the United Kingdom of two Iraqi nationals, which included providing instructions and directions.

“This conviction sends a clear message that this will not be tolerated.”

Three men convicted of sexual assault and rape against four young girls and teenagers in Bristol

Three men have been convicted of sexual assault and rape against four young girls and teenagers in Bristol

The group targeted vulnerable girls as young as 13 and provided them with alcohol and marijuana before demanding sex. Three men have been found guilty by a jury at Bristol Crown Court of charges of sexual assault, rape, trafficking for sexual exploitation and supplying a controlled drug of class B. 

Huw Rogers, Head of the Complex Casework Unit for CPS South West said: 

“The abuse in this case is chilling. The defendants groomed, sexually abused and raped four young girls, from the ages of 13 to 16, over a four-year period. The victims were deliberately targeted as they were perceived to be vulnerable and impressionable. 

“The defendants’ relationships with the victims focused on complete control, ensuring they were always in charge. They wanted sex from the girls and demanded this from them.  The victims did not have the freedom to consent to any of these acts, and on some occasions were threatened so that they could not leave. 

“I would like to thank the witnesses and victims for their courage in coming forward in this case.”

 

ENDS

 

Details of the charges:

Sakiriya Sheikh convicted of 3 counts of sexual assault, 2 counts of trafficking in the UK for a sexual offence, 4 counts of rape and two counts of supplying cannabis- imprisoned for 16 years

Mohammed Ismail Dahir convicted of 2 counts of rape- imprisoned for 8 years

Abdirashid Abdulahi convicted of 2 counts of rape- imprisoned for 8 years

Five gang members sentenced to a total of 20 years for slavery offences

Five Czech gang members have been jailed for human trafficking and slavery offences after they brought vulnerable people into the country and then made them live in inhumane conditions as they paid off imposed debts.

Their trial was the first time a Czech prisoner was transferred to the UK to give evidence and a further witness was able to testify direct from a court in the Czech Republic. 

Ruzena Tancosova, Petr Tancos, Nela Dzurkova, Martin Tancos and Katerina Kerujova were convicted on Monday, 24 October at Plymouth Crown Court. Today (31 October) they were jailed for a total of more than 20 years and the judge also imposed Serious Crime Prevention Orders on Ruzena Tancosova and Petr Tancos.

The gang trafficked people from the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom. Upon arrival the victims lived in squalid conditions and were then forced to work in a car wash and at a meat packing factory in order to pay off debts which their traffickers claimed they owed.

Ann Hampshire, Senior Crown Prosecutor in the CPS South West Complex Casework Unit, said:

“This has been a challenging and complex matter to investigate and prosecute, requiring international co-operation between criminal justice agencies in the UK and the Czech Republic. This multi-agency, international approach helped us to build a strong prosecution case, ultimately resulting in these convictions. 

“I would like to thank all those who have supported the prosecution of this case and pay tribute to the courage of the victims in coming forward and putting their trust in the authorities.

“The defendants are guilty of the organised exploitation and manipulation of a number of vulnerable victims over a prolonged period. The group cynically targeted people who might not immediately be noticed as missing.

“They were then treated as commodities to be used however the defendants saw fit. They were forced to live in squalid conditions, whilst being put to work to pay off imaginary debts they were told they had incurred."‎

 

Notes to Editors

 

Ruzena Tancosova, 36, of South View Terrace – found guilty of conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and acting as a gangmaster. Sentenced to six and a half years’ imprisonment.

Petr Tancos, 37, of South View Terrace - found guilty of conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation, requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour. Sentenced to six and a half years’ imprisonment.

Nela Dzurkova, 28, of South View Terrace - found guilty of conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation. Sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment.

Martin Tancos, 37, of Wolsdon Street - found guilty of conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation and acting as a gangmaster. Sentenced to three year’s imprisonment

Katerina Kurejova, 37, of Wolsdon Street - found guilty of conspiracy to traffic for the purpose of exploitation. Sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Tomasz Kroker jailed for 10 years at Reading Crown Court

A lorry driver whose dangerous driving caused the deaths of four family members has today (31 October) been jailed for 10 years at Reading Crown Court.

Tomasz Kroker was driving on the northbound carriageway of the A34 in Berkshire on 10 August this year when he drove into the back of the stationary queue of vehicles at approximately 50mph. Tracey Houghton, aged 45, from Bedfordshire, her two sons, Josh Houghton (11) and Ethan Houghton (13), and her partner’s daughter Aimee Goldsmith (11), who were all travelling in the same vehicle, died at the scene. A further five people were injured including one man who was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Kroker initially claimed at the scene that his brakes had failed. But when confronted with dash-cam footage he admitted he had been looking at his mobile phone at the time of the crash. On 10 October he pleaded guilty to four counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Gavin Hernandez, District Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said:

“This was not a tragic accident but four deaths were caused by Kroker’s inattention and distraction.

“This case highlights the serious consequences of failing to be alert and prepared for unexpected driving conditions. Mobile phones must not be used by drivers under any circumstances as they are a lethal distraction which, as this case demonstrates, can lead to untold misery.

“Our thoughts are very much with the families affected by this tragic incident.”