Three men who indecently assaulted a child in Rotherham over a number of years during the 1990s have been convicted today (16 November).
Sajid Ali, Zaheer Iqbal and Riaz Makhmood befriended the 13-year-old girl, offering her alcohol in exchange for sexual activity, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
The victim believed Ali, Iqbal and Makhmood were her friends, and that Ali was her boyfriend, but instead was passed around each defendant and abused.
The offences happened in the mid-nineties - when Ali, Iqbal and Makhmood were approximately 15 to 18 years old - but were not reported to the police until 2014.
Tarryn McCaffrey, from the CPS, said: “Ali, Iqbal and Makhmood groomed the victim to make her believe she was their friend.
“Far from acting as friends, they used her vulnerability to force her to perform sex acts on them on a number of occasions after giving her alcohol.
“All three denied indecent assault but the case put forward by the CPS, including evidence from the victim and proof that the defendants knew each other and continued to visit each other after one left the area, saw them convicted by the jury.
“This case demonstrates how the passage of time is not a barrier to pursuing sexual offenders and I would like to pay tribute to the victim who found the strength to come forward and support this prosecution.”
Ends
Notes to editors
- Tarryn McCaffrey is a Specialist Prosecutor in the International Justice and Organised Crime Division at the Crown Prosecution Service.
- Sajid Ali denied seven counts of indecent assault, Zaheer Iqbal denied five counts of indecent assault and Riaz Makhmood denied three counts of indecent assault. All were convicted by a jury.
