Ten Men Guilty Of A Range Of Sexual Offences

Ten men have been found guilty of a range of serious sexual offences as part of Operation Doublet, an investigation into child sexual exploitation mainly in Rochdale, with the majority happening between 2004 and 2008.

The following men have been convicted during two trials that have been held at Minshul Street Crown Court:

• Afraz Ahmed of Oswald Street, Rochdale was found guilty of two counts of rape, two counts of conspiracy to rape, two counts of inciting sexual activity, five counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of Section 47 assault against five victims.
• Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain of Mayfield Terrace, Rochdale was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of rape and one count of conspiracy to rape against one victim. He was convicted in his absence and is currently wanted by police. He is believed to be outside the United Kingdom.
• Mahfuz Rahman of HMP Garth pleaded guilty to three counts of Sexual Activity with a Child and was sentenced to five years and six months in prison at the beginning of trial.
• Rehan Ali of Cleethorpes Avenue, Blackley was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of rape against one victim.
• Kutab Miah of Ramsay Street, Rochdale was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of rape against one victim.
• Mohammed Dauood of Leyland Road, Burnley was found guilty of three counts of rape, one count of sexual Activity with a child, one count of sexual assault and one count of Section 47 assault against two victims.
• Abid Khan of Whitney Road, Liverpool was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child against one victim.
• Mohammed Zahid of Croxton Avenue, Rochdale was found guilty of one count of sexual activity with a child against one victim.
• A man who cannot be named for legal reasons was found guilty of three counts of rape and attempted child abduction against three victims.
• A 46-year-old man was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to rape against one victim.  

All men bar Iklaq Choudhry Hussain, who remains wanted, have been remanded to appear for sentencing on the Thursday 7 and Friday 8 April 2016.

The convictions relate to offences committed against eight victims who were aged between 13 and 23 at the time of the abuse.

Assistant Chief Constable Robert Potts said: “Operation Doublet was launched following the 2011 investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rochdale and we identified a number of cases, which broadly took place between 2004 and 2008, across Greater Manchester where teenage girls were being sexually exploited by older men.

“Cases such as this one are extremely complex and take a lot of hard work to ensure they reach court. Understandably, victims can go through an array of emotions during the process but their welfare is the most important thing to us and they are always supported by specially trained officers.

“The strong partnership approach taken here, ranging from the Crown Prosecution Service through to Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council has been important and the police team lead by Detective Chief Inspector Jamie Daniels have dedicated themselves and have been relentless in achieving the very best outcomes.

“Today’s outcome belongs to the brave and courageous victims who have found the confidence to speak of their harrowing experiences.  They've helped us to ensure that we can find those responsible for these horrific crimes and bring them to justice no matter how long has come to pass.

“This has been achieved through a great deal of hard work by police and all partners.

“The nationally recognised Sunrise team in Rochdale continue to help identify vulnerable children in Rochdale with Project Phoenix being a multi-agency approach for Greater Manchester.

“Tackling CSE is a priority for Greater Manchester Police and we, alongside our partners, are dedicated to helping those who are subjected to such abuse and to ensure they are safeguarded from the risks.”