Overview

• A multi-day hearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court is considering sentences for seven men convicted in June over abuse of two teenagers between 2001 and 2006, with decisions expected Wednesday afternoon.
• Prosecutors said Mohammed Zahid, a market stall holder known as “Boss man,” was the only defendant who abused both girls and met them through his prominent role at Rochdale indoor market.
• Girl A’s statement said the abuse has destroyed her life, while Girl B told the court she was let down by authorities and urged other victims to seek help from the child sexual exploitation team.
• The court heard the girls were groomed from about age 13 with alcohol, drugs, cigarettes and places to stay, and that Nisar Hussain filmed an assault used to blackmail Girl A.
• Kasir Bashir fled the UK while on bail and remains out of the jurisdiction, and he will be sentenced in his absence.