“I now know my voice matters” as seven Rochdale grooming gang members face jail

Two women who were abused as teenagers in Rochdale have spoken out about the trauma they endured, as their abusers are finally convicted after a long fight for justice.

Seven men who groomed and repeatedly raped two girls in Rochdale have been convicted at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, bringing to light harrowing details of long-term abuse that left the victims traumatised for decades.

The women, known only as Girl A and Girl B, were targeted between 2001 and 2006. Both were just 13 when the abuse began. Prosecutors said they were “treated as sex slaves”, plied with drugs, alcohol and cigarettes before being passed between men who raped them in filthy flats, cars, alleyways and abandoned buildings across the town.

Girl A’s victim impact statement, read in court by a prosecutor, revealed the devastating toll the abuse has taken. “My life has been destroyed,” she said. “It hasn’t just impacted me, it has affected my family, my children and my friends. These men used me for their advantage only.”

She added that giving evidence was like “reliving the abuse” and described having to give around 40 video interviews to police over ten years. “This has been and still is consuming my life,” she said.

Girl B, who read her statement in court, said the verdict had lifted a “massive weight” off her shoulders. She encouraged other survivors to come forward and praised the child sexual exploitation team: “Before they came to me, I had no faith in the police. But they believed and understood me. If you feel ready to deal with what happened, go to the CSE team. You can still get justice.”

‘They accused me of lying’

Both women also spoke of the challenges of being cross-examined in court. Girl B said: “These men blamed me and accused me of outrageous motives for telling the truth. One of them even fled the country.”

That man was Kasir Bashir, 50, of Oldham, who was convicted in absentia of raping Girl B. His co-defendants were found guilty of similar charges.

Mohammed Zahid, 65, of Crumpsall, abused both girls and was convicted of ten counts of rape, indecency with a child and procuring sex.

Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, also of Oldham, was found guilty of rape and indecency with a child.

Mohammed Shahzad, 44; Naheem Akram, 49; and Nisar Hussain, 41, all of Rochdale, were each convicted of multiple rapes of Girl A.

Roheez Khan, 39, of Rochdale, was found guilty of a single count of rape.

They are expected to be sentenced on Wednesday.

Judge Jonathan Seely praised the victims’ “extraordinary courage” and said the trial had exposed “the reality of long-term, systematic child sexual exploitation”.

The convictions follow renewed pressure from campaigners and politicians in Rochdale. Last week, Councillor Farooq Ahmed demanded an emergency council meeting to address failures in safeguarding and called for a full independent inquiry.

His calls come as Greater Manchester continues to reckon with the legacy of historic grooming gang scandals and the failure of institutions to act when the abuse was first reported.

“This should’ve happened a long time ago,” said Cllr Ahmed. “Victims remain unheard, and justice remains incomplete. We have a moral duty to protect children in our town, and it is with deep regret that we acknowledge this hasn’t always been done.”

The case is one of several "non-recent" grooming investigations in Greater Manchester, following public outcry over failures by police and local authorities during the early 2000s.

Though some of the victims had previously come forward, it was not until years later, thanks to the dedicated work of the CSE team, that justice was pursued in earnest.

Girl A said she brought the case forward not just for herself, but for “the next generation”. Girl B added that the guilty verdicts marked “the most positive thing I have ever done”.

“I now know my voice matters,” she said.