EIGHT men have been jailed for a total of nearly 58 years for sexually abusing two children in Keighley during the late 1990s.
The men were convicted in two separate trials at Bradford Crown Court for offences that took place between 1996 and 1999. The victims were girls aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the abuse, said West Yorkshire Police in a statement.
Mohammed Din, 47, received the longest sentence of 14 years after being found guilty of 11 counts of rape against both victims. The other men were convicted of offences against the first victim.
In the first trial that ended in October 2023, four other men were jailed: Amreaz Asghar, 47, received four and a half years; Perwaz Asghar, 50, got six and a half years; Sajid Mahmood Khan, 45, was sentenced to three years; and Zehroon Razak, 47, received six and-a-half years.
Three more men were convicted in a second trial concluding in December 2024. Ibrar Hussain, 47, was jailed for six-and-a-half years, while Fayaz Ahmed, 45, and Imtiaz Ahmed, 61, were sentenced to seven-and-a-half years and nine years respectively after being found guilty in their absence.
According to police, a bench warrant has been issued for the arrests of Imtiaz and Fayaz and enquiries are ongoing to locate them.
The investigation began when one woman contacted police years later to report abuse she had endured as a teenager. This led Bradford's historical sex abuse team to launch an inquiry, during which a second victim was identified.
In court, the victim, now in her forties described the lasting trauma of abuse she suffered as a teenager. "I went through too much, too young," she said, explaining that she still struggles with the impact of her ordeal.
She revealed how she was given drugs and alcohol before being sexually abused, with men sometimes queuing to assault her at a flat. She described being groomed before being passed between different men, leading to substance addiction as she tried to cope with her experiences.
Judge Ahmed Nadim criticised the authorities' failure to act, noting that the girl's mother had repeatedly reported her missing. He said police and social services either failed to understand what was happening or showed little interest in helping the victims.
Instead, he noted, officials had blamed the girls for their situation.
"If I had been listened to sooner, my life could have been different," the victim told the court.
Detective chief inspector Vicky Greenbank praised the victims' courage throughout the court process, noting that the abuse had robbed them of their childhood. She said the case sent a clear message that police would pursue justice regardless of when offences occurred.
The Crown Prosecution Service revealed that some of the men had targeted a vulnerable young girl, supplying her with Class A drugs and alcohol until she became dependent.
Michael Quinn from the CPS said, “These convictions send a very clear message that the CPS, working alongside law enforcement colleagues, will relentlessly pursue justice for victims and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, whenever that abuse took place.
“I encourage any victims of child sexual abuse and sexual violence to report the crimes committed against them. It is never too late to seek justice - you are not alone and there is help available”
A ninth man, aged 47, was found to have committed rape in a trial of facts but was deemed unfit to stand trial. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event