Overview
- Judge Jonathan Seely said the two victims were extremely vulnerable and were passed from hand to hand, abused, humiliated and degraded.
- Ringleader Mohammed Zahid received the longest term at 35 years, with the remaining defendants given prison sentences ranging from 12 to 35 years.
- Prosecutors said the rapes and coercion lasted from 2001 to 2006 and began when the girls were about 13 years old.
- Home Secretary Yvette Cooper previously issued a full apology to victims and announced reforms, and the Home Office launched a June operation to identify offenders and reopen closed investigations.
- An independent report recorded about 700 organised child‑exploitation offences in 2023, more than 100 offenders have been convicted in related cases, and police and social services face sustained criticism for failures to protect victims.