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City & Kidlington Thursday, March 29 - Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Out& About ire
Ideas for a cracking Easter day out
Free
New U’s boss excited by challenge
Honoured to meet future king at Palace
Page 2
around Oxfordsh
Concocting a grea t show to produce Geo rge’s Marvellous Med icine
oxfordshireguardian.co.uk
Trust fined £1m over death of Connor in care
leisure time in &
Sport
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Guilty of despicable abuse Eight men convicted for sexual offences against teenage girls from 1998 to 2005 By George Welch A ‘DESPICABLE’ sex gang who subjected vulnerable young girls in Oxford to an ‘almost unimaginable level’ of abuse have been found guilty of multiple offences. The grooming ring of eight men was convicted of more than 20 offences, including rape and indecent assault, against six teenage girls between 1998 and 2005. The girls were aged between 13 and 17 at the time of the offences. The men worked together to groom some of the victims, befriending them and building trust, police said. Some of the girls were given lifts and taken to parties, as well as being given alcohol and drugs. Over time, the victims were subjected to a series of indecent assaults and rapes. The defendants Raheem Ahmed, Moinul Islam, Kamran Khan, Kameer Iqbal, Khalid Hussain, Alladitta Yousaf, Assad Hussain and Haji Khan, were convicted at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after a five-month court case. Two others who stood trial, Saboor Abdul, 37, of Oxford Road, Oxford and Cee Jay Jackson, 56, of Leon Close, Oxford, were acquitted of all charges. Child protection charity NSPCC praised the courage of the girls for giving evidence. A spokesperson said: “These men subjected young girls to despicable abuse; manipulating and assaulting them while believing their campaign
From left: Assad Hussain, 37, of Iffley Road, Oxford, guilty of five counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault, not guilty of one count of indecent assault; Kameer Iqbal, 39, of Dashwood Road, Oxford, guilty of three counts of rape; Khalid Hussain, 38, of Ashhurst Way, Oxford, guilty of rape and indecent assault, not guilty of one count of rape; Kamran Khan, 36, of Northfield Road, Bolton, guilty of indecent assault and false imprisonment, not guilty of rape
From left: Moinul Islam, 41, of Wykeham Crescent, Oxford, guilty of rape, two counts of indecent assault and supplying cannabis, not guilty of false imprisonment; Raheem Ahmed, 40, of Starwort Path, Oxford, guilty of two counts of indecent assault and false imprisonment, not guilty of rape; Alladitta Yousaf, 48, of Bodley Road, Oxford, guilty of indecent assault; Haji Khan, 38 of Willows, Oxford, guilty of one count of rape and one count of conspiracy to rape of fear would stop them from speaking out. But they were proved wrong thanks to the bravery of their victims who, despite the violence infl icted on them, showed tremendous courage to face their abusers in court and help convict them of their crimes.” Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Glover, of Thames Valley Police
Major Crime Unit, said the convictions were only possible because of the “incredible bravery” of the gang’s victims. He said: “This group of men subjected them to an almost unimaginable level of cruelty and sexual abuse over a significant period of time. “To have come through that
trauma, and to have been able to help and support us throughout our investigation is a testament to the strength of their characters.” Adrian Foster, chief crown prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service, said all the men “failed to accept any responsibility for their actions”. “The emotional impact on the
victims and their families of the abhorrent actions of these men is impossible to quantify,” he added. “I hope the convictions give some small comfort to them.” The jury returned verdicts on February 27, March 15, March 22 and March 23. The eight convicted will be sentenced at the same court in June.
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