‘Highly predatory, controlling and manipulative’: Monsters who plied teen girls with drink and drugs before sexually abusing them

Sentenced at Crown Court Minshull Street Manchester yesterday after conviction in August. From the Manchester Evening News Photograph from GMP

Five men from Rochdale have been jailed after plying teenage girls with vodka and drugs before sexually abusing them. Two girls were abused over a number of years in the mid 2000s.

Events came to light after the first victim, Girl A, began a course in which she stated that she had been a victim of child sexual exploitation. She described being given drugs and alcohol by the men, being ‘passed on to their friends’, adding that she had to do what they said or she would be ‘beaten and raped’.

Police were alerted, and the woman said she had met a group of young men, including Mohammed Ghani, when she was just 12 years old. She said she would meet Ghani, known as ‘Gunny’, along with his brother, Jahn Shahid Ghani and Ghani’s closest friend Insar Hussain at Jahn’s flat on Whitworth Road in Rochdale.

The flat was known as the ‘Butcher’s Flat’ as it was above an old butcher’s shop. Girl A described becoming ‘accustomed’ to giving the men what they wanted sexually, that condoms were rarely used, that they would ‘bombard’ her with calls and treat her like a ‘piece of meat’.

Jahn Shahid Ghani later showed a video of her being sexually assaulted with a bottle. She later became aware that the video had been ‘’circulated around Rochdale’.

Of Mohammed Ghani, who was aged between 19 and 21 at the time, Girl A said he would collect her from school whilst she was still wearing her school uniform. He would have sex with her regularly and persuade her to have sex with his friends.

Mohammed Ghani also persuaded her to have anal sex, and later encouraged her to have sex with his cousin who was in his 30s and on holiday from Pakistan. “Ghani asked her to have sex with him because he had never had sex with a white girl before,”

Of Insar Hussain, described as a ‘close friend’ of Mohammed Ghani and also between 19 and 21 at the time, he would have sex with her on a ‘large number of occasions’ … ‘cocky’ and ‘outgoing’ and that he would ‘go too far all the time with everything’. He would say to her ‘oh go on suck my d***’, it was said.

Martin Rhodes, then aged between 20 and 21, met both Girl A and Girl B when they walked past his house from school and went on to have sex with them regularly. The court heard that he abused class A drugs in front of Girl B and would often be violent towards her.

Ali Raza Hussain Kazmi, described as ‘intimidating and aggressive’ by Girl A, was said to have been verbally and physically abusive towards Girl B. He was aged 15-17 at the time. He went on to rape Girl B near Hopwood Hall College whilst with a group of his friends. “Despite the presence of others he made it clear he wanted sex. She said no. Girl A who was present, recalls Ali replying “I don’t give a f***… I’ll s*** you in front of all my mates,”

Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale said: “It’s clear from the evidence, from their appearance and behaviour, that you were well aware of their young ages and their vulnerabilities. They were both immature and naive children, loved by their families. They both wanted to be grown up and they wanted to be loved. As children they believed they had street credibility, but in reality that was fake. Each girl was a child ripe for exploitation from unscrupulous older men. Your behaviour towards them was highly predatory, controlling and manipulative.”

The sentences in full:

• Mohammed Ghani, 39, of Bamford Way, Rochdale, was found guilty of five counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child. He was jailed for 14 years.
• Insar Hussain, 38, of Bishop Street, Rochdale, was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of having penetrative sexual activity with a child. He was jailed for 17 years.
• Jahn Shahid Ghani, 50, of Whitworth Road, Rochdale, was found guilty of six counts of penetrative sexual activity and one count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He was jailed for 20 years
• Martin Rhodes, 39, of Dinmore Avenue, Blackpool, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child. He was jailed for 12-and-a-half years.
• Ali Raza Hussain Kasmi, 36, of Brotherod Hall Road, Rochdale, was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of indecency with a child. He was jailed for eight years.

Three men were cleared of all wrongdoing. Ikhlaq Yousef, Aftar Khan and Mohammed Iqbal were discharged from the dock following the trial.