Keighley MP Welcomes Sentencing For Keighley Offenders In Horrendous CSE Case

Keighley MP welcomes the sentences handed down to twelve men who were jailed for total of 143 years and six months for child sexual exploitation offences

A gang of men from the Keighley area have been jailed for a total of 143 years six months for rape and sexual activity with two young girls.

Sufyan Ziarab, Yasser Kabir, Bilal Ziarab, Taukeer Hussain, Israr Ali,  Nazir Khan, Saqib Younis, Hussain Sardar, Zain Ali and Faisal Khan, were found guilty at Bradford Crown Court on 18 December of 16 offences of raping a girl who was aged between 13 and 14 at the time, between 2011 and 2012. Mohammed Akram was found guilty of sexual activity with the same girl. Additionally, Taukeer Hussain was also found guilty of one charge of raping a second girl, in 2009.  Khalid Mahmood pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two charges of raping a child and three charges of sexual activity with a child.

Local MP Kris Hopkins, Member of Parliament for Keighley and Ilkley, released a statement after the sentencing:

“In November 2012, I made a speech in the House of Commons expressing my horror at the fact that there were gangs of Asian men going around Keighley raping white girls. 

“I was castigated from many quarters, received many abusive pieces of correspondence and on one occasion was forced to clear my constituency office after receiving a threat.

“This case, the many guilty verdicts reached and the heavy sentences rightly handed down underline the nature and the truth of the evil I spoke about back then and will continue to raise until it has been eradicated.

“I am very well aware that there are numerous white paedophiles out there and they should be dealt with just as harshly.  But the sick model of organised groups of Asian men grooming young white girls to be sexually abused remains a blight at the heart of many communities across this country.  And sadly Keighley is at the top of the list. 

“I want to congratulate all of the police officers who played a part in bringing these guilty men to justice.   It can often be a harrowing task to collect the necessary evidence to secure convictions and, once again, West Yorkshire Police has done an outstanding job.

Helen Gaunt, reviewing lawyer, Complex Casework Unit, Crown Prosecution Service Yorkshire and Humberside said:

“These 12 men are responsible for despicable crimes involving child sexual exploitation and abuse. Their victims were young, naïve and vulnerable, and were deliberately targeted: one girl was threatened, exploited and raped. A second girl was also threatened and raped.

“These two young women have shown immense bravery in reporting these matters to the police and in providing evidence to enable us to bring a strong prosecution case against their abusers.

“This type of depravity will not be tolerated on our streets or in our communities. We will bring dangerous criminals who carry out acts of sexual violence against girls to justice.”

Cllr David Green, Leader of Bradford Council, said: "Child sexual exploitation is a dreadful crime which all right minded people deplore and we are pleased this is reflected in the sentencing of these men.  We also acknowledge the courage and commitment of the young women in giving their evidence which led to these convictions.  

"We are determined, working closely with the Police, to ensure all perpetrators of child sexual exploitation are pursued and prosecuted, no matter when the abuse took place.”  

"We have invested additional resources in recent years to tackle child sexual exploitation and keep children safe. Our multi agency hub, which has been operating since January 2012, involving the Police, Council, NHS and voluntary organisations across Bradford District, means we can make sure risks are identified and there is fast and effective intervention.  

 "We need help from the community as a whole, from parents and carers, to take responsibility for vulnerable young people and help from neighbours to give us third party information if they suspect that CSE has or is taking place, or that children are at risk. This is an issue for everybody. It goes right into the heart of every community.  

 "If anyone has any concerns about the safety of a child or a young person in Bradford District they should contact West Yorkshire Police, Crimestoppers (0800 555 111) or Children’s Services Initial Contact Point on 01274 437500 or NSPCC Child Protection helpline on 0808 800 5000.”