Keighley gang jailed for 140 years

    12 men who sexually abused a vulnerable Keighley schoolgirl have been locked up for a total of 140 years at Bradford Crown Court.

    The gang were described as heartless and demeaning when the girl, who was 13 and 14 at the time was clearly in a vulnerable state.

    The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas, said the  men saw her as a pathetic figure who had no worth and who served no other purpose than to be an object that they could sexually misuse and cast aside.

    Yasser Kabir, 25, of Belgrave Road, Keighley, was found guilty of three counts of rape and was jailed for 15 years for each count, to run concurrently.

    Kabir’s half-brother, Tauqeer Hussain, 23, of Belgrave Road, Keighley, was also found guilty of two counts of rape, relating to two victims. He was jailed for 13 years for each count in relation to the Keighley schoolgirl, to run concurrently, with five years added for his second victim, meaning he will serve 18 years.

    Sufyan Ziarab, 23, of Kendal Mellor Court, Keighley, was given two concurrent 15 year sentences for two counts of rape.

    His brother, Bilal Ziarab, 21, of Sedgwick Close, Manningham, Bradford, was given two concurrent 12-year sentences.

    Nazir Khan, 24, of Buxton Street, Keighley, was jailed for 13 years for one count of rape.

    His brother, Faisal Khan, 27, of Buxton Street, Keighley, will also serve 13 years for one rape count.

    Hussain Sardar 19, of Bradford Street, Lawkholme, Keighley, will serve six years detention in a young offenders’ institution for one count of rape.

    Saqib Younis, 29, of Bradford Street, Lawkholme, Keighley, was jailed for 13 years for one count of rape.

    Zain Ali 20, of Buxton Street, Keighley, was given an eight-year detention sentence in a young offenders’ institution, to reflect his age of 16 and 17 at the time of the offences.

    18-year-old Israr Ali, raped the schoolgirl when he was 15-years-old, about 18 months older than the girl. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in a young offenders’ institute.

    Mohammed Akram, 63,of Holker Street, Keighley, was convicted of sexual activity with the girl once in his cab when he was 59 and she 14.

    The judge jailed Akram for five years.     

    The 12th man to be jailed, 34-year-old Khalid Mahmood, is already behind bars for raping another victim

    He pleaded guilty at the start of the trial to twice raping the teenager and three offences of sexual activity with a child.

    Mahmood, then of Gordon Street, Keighley, was given extended sentences of imprisonment, concurrent on each rape count, of 17 years. He was told that extended sentence comprised of a custodial term of 13-and-a-half years and an extended licence period of three-and-a-half years.

    A 13th man, Arif Choudhury, is thought to have fled to Bangladesh. Choudhury, now 18 and formerly of Victoria Avenue, Keighley, was accused by the girl of raping her in the grounds of a Keighley church when she was 13. 

    More from Local and National News

    Listener Club

    Get more with the Listener Club!

    • Bhangra Nights Bhangra Nights

      Get over the Weekday blues - Every Tuesday night is party night with the best Bhangra and Urban Asian Beats. The Bhangra Show every Tuesday between 8pm-11pm

    • Legal Show Legal Show

      Once a fortnight we dedicate a show to discussing legal issues and family / matrimonial law in particular. Alternate Friday mornings between 9am-11pm.

    • The Golden Era The Golden Era

      The golden era of Bollywood celebrated in this weekly show full of classics taking you back in time. Every Sunday between 5pm - 7pm

    • Remix Saturdays Remix Saturdays

      Every Saturday evening we turn to remixes of hit songs to get you in the Saturday night party mood! Every Saturday between 5pm - 8pm