Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Rochdale verdict: Five men convicted of sexually exploiting two girls

The Manchester Minshull Street crown court heard that the girls were treated as objects by the defendants, subjected to abuse and humiliation before being discarded

Rochdale verdict: Five men convicted of sexually exploiting two girls

Five men from Rochdale, including two brothers, have been found guilty of sexually exploiting two girls aged 12 and 13, according to recent official figures.

The Manchester Minshull Street crown court heard that the girls were treated as objects by the defendants, subjected to abuse and humiliation before being discarded, The Guardian reported.


The trial focused on 80 counts dating back to 2002 and 2006, with the complainants, now both 33, revealing their abuse in 2015.

The two victims and survivors were adolescents when they were subjected to horrific abuse.

Mohammed Ghani, 38, Insar Hussain 38, Jahn Shahid Ghani, and Ali Razza Hussain Kasmi, 36 all from Rochdale, were convicted of various child sexual abuse offenses on Thursday (17), while Martin Rhodes, 39 from Blackpool pleaded guilty to four counts of penetrative sex with a child, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Three others, also from Rochdale namely Ikhlaq Yousef, 38, Aftar Khan, 34, and Mohammed Iqbal, 67, were acquitted of any wrong doing.

The case, the largest child sexual exploitation trial in Rochdale since 2012, involved the testimony of the victims, who are also expected to provide evidence in further trials in 2024 and 2025.

Maggie Oliver, a former police officer and whistleblower, praised the convictions and called for systemic change to prevent further abuse.

Girl A, one of the victims, previously played a role in a 2016 case involving two Rochdale men who were found guilty of inciting her into sex work.

In the recent trial, some defendants accused her of exaggerating the number of abusers to claim compensation.

She had already received compensation after the 2016 case but is now seeking damages for the abuse in this trial.

Girl A, who was abused from the age of 12, recounted her experiences, including being introduced to the older brother of one of the defendants.

The older brother, Jahn Shahid Ghani, claimed the girls were his "friends with benefits" and argued he believed they were over 16. He admitted to having sex with the girls when they were 14 or 15.

The victims' emotional testimony led to convictions, with prosecutors emphasising the lasting impact of the defendants' actions.

Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Jackson said, “These convictions are a testament to the true resilience of the victims and survivors who, thankfully, felt able to trust Greater Manchester Police, and have the confidence in the criminal justice system to support prosecutions. They demonstrated such bravery in testifying against these offenders on their journey to justice.”

According to a report by the Greater Manchester Police the verdicts mark the inaugural convictions led by GMP's Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (formerly known as the Force CSE Unit).

Established in 2021, the CSE MIT is focused on addressing the most intricate and severe cases across Greater Manchester while also providing support for investigations conducted by district-based officers.

Comprising specialised police officers and staff, the team collaborates with partner agencies to effectively identify and engage with victims, ensure safeguarding measures, locate suspects, and gather evidence for submission to the CPS.

This outcome culminates an eight-year inquiry and represents the first of five sets of charges under Operation Lytton. The Lytton operation follows three prior endeavours, also centered on historical CSE in Rochdale, which led to convictions of 36 offenders in 2012 and 2015.

Sharon Hubber, Rochdale Borough Council’s director of children’s services, said, “These were sickening crimes committed against two vulnerable young girls, whose strength and determination was instrumental in bringing this case forward.”

Sentencing for the offenders is scheduled on Tuesday October 31, 2023.

More For You

Indian restaurant loses licence after Home Office catches illegal workers

Mumbai Local has been stripped of its licence by Harrow council. (Photo: LDRS/Google Maps)

Indian restaurant loses licence after Home Office catches illegal workers

AN INDIAN restaurant in north London has lost its licence after it was found to have repeatedly employed illegal workers.

Harrow council determined that the evidence suggested that using illegal workers was a “systemic approach” to running the premises and it had a “lack of trust” in the business to comply with the law.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump sees Modi, Putin closer to Xi, but insists US-India ties intact

FILE PHOTO: US president Donald Trump meets with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Trump sees Modi, Putin closer to Xi, but insists US-India ties intact

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump said India and Russia seem to have been "lost" to China after their leaders met with Chinese president Xi Jinping this week, expressing his annoyance at New Delhi and Moscow as Beijing pushes a new world order.

"Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!" Trump wrote in a social media post accompanying a photo of the three leaders together at Xi's summit in China.

Keep ReadingShow less
Farage pledges Reform UK election push as Tories, Labour falter

Nigel Farage gestures as he speaks during the party's national conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, Britain, September 5, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Farage pledges Reform UK election push as Tories, Labour falter

POPULIST leader Nigel Farage vowed to start preparing for government, saying the nation's two main parties were in meltdown and only his Reform UK could ease the anger and despair plaguing the country to "make Britain great again".

To a prolonged standing ovation by a crowd at the annual party conference on Friday (5), Farage for the first time offered a vision of how Britain would be under a Reform government: He pledged to end the arrival of illegal migrants in boats in two weeks, bring back "stop-and-search" policing and scrap net zero policies.

Keep ReadingShow less
Epping protests

The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping triggered a series of demonstrations across the country during heightened tensions over immigration. (Photo: Getty Images)

Asylum seeker convicted of sex assaults case that led to protests

AN ETHIOPIAN asylum seeker, whose arrest in July led to protests outside a hotel near London where he and other migrants were housed, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman.

The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 20 miles (30 km) from London, triggered a series of demonstrations across the country during heightened tensions over immigration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Angela-Rayner-Getty

Rayner, 45, announced she would step down as deputy prime minister, housing minister and deputy leader of the Labour Party. (Photo: Getty Image)

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner resigns after admitting tax mistake

Highlights

  • Rayner steps down after admitting underpaying property tax
  • Resigns as deputy prime minister, housing minister and Labour deputy leader
  • Becomes eighth minister to leave Starmer’s government, and the most senior so far
  • Her departure comes as Labour trails Reform UK in opinion polls

DEPUTY prime minister Angela Rayner resigned on Friday after admitting she had underpaid property tax on a new home. Her resignation is a fresh setback for prime minister Keir Starmer, who had initially stood by her.

Keep ReadingShow less