One of the seven men convicted for child sex offences in Rochdale has gone on the run after failing to attend court, prompting a nationwide manhunt led by Greater Manchester Police.
Kasir Bashir, 50, was found guilty in his absence of two counts of rape and two counts of indecency with a child. He vanished just days before his trial began in January 2025, despite attending regular bail appointments in the lead-up.
Bashir, from Napier Street East, Oldham, was one of seven men convicted on Thursday 13 June of non-recent child sexual exploitation offences under Operation Lytton, GMP’s long-running investigation into abuse in Rochdale during the early 2000s.
Detectives now believe Bashir is actively evading justice and have launched an urgent appeal for help to track him down. Officers are working with the Crown Prosecution Service’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit to locate him.
DCI Guy Laycock, the senior investigating officer, called Bashir a “coward” for refusing to face court while his victims relived their abuse during a four-month trial.
“This is in stark contrast to the survivors who gave brave and painful testimony,” he said. “Bashir thought he could escape justice, he won’t. We will do everything we can to find him and make sure he faces the full consequences of his actions.”
The jury heard how Bashir and six others groomed girls as young as 13 for sex over several years. The abuse happened in market stalls, warehouses, shops, houses and even out on the Moors.
Bashir was last seen in early January 2025. Police say they don’t know where he is now, but “no matter where he thinks he can hide, we are determined to find him.”
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact GMP online or call 101 quoting Operation Lytton. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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