Seven men have been found guilty of 50 sex offences committed between 2001 and 2006, involving the grooming and sexual exploitation of two vulnerable teenage girls in Rochdale. The long-running trial in Manchester highlighted the victims' deeply troubled home lives and the systemic failure of social workers to adequately protect them.
Seven men who groomed vulnerable girls in Rochdale guilty of multiple sex offences
Rochdale child sex abuse ringViolence against women and girlsSocietyGreater ManchesterEnglandUKCrimeRape and sexual assaultYoung people
AI Summary
TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Seven men have been found guilty of 50 sex offences committed between 2001 and 2006, involving the grooming and sexual exploitation of two vulnerable teenage girls in Rochdale. The long-running trial in Manchester highlighted the victims' deeply troubled home lives and the systemic failure of social workers to adequately protect them.
Trending- 1 2001-2006: The period during which the crimes against Girl A and Girl B were committed.
- 2 2008-2009: Roheez Khan was involved in sexually exploiting a 15-year-old girl in a previous case.
- 3 2013: Roheez Khan was convicted and jailed for six-and-a-half years in a previous Rochdale grooming trial.
- 4 2015: Operation Lytton, an ongoing investigation into non-recent child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, began.
- 5 2016: Mohammed Zahid was jailed for five years in an earlier grooming gang case.
- 6 January (2025): Mohammed Shahzad, Naheem Akram, and Nisar Hussain were remanded in custody due to flight risk concerns.
- 7 Friday (June 13, 2025): A jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts for 50 offences after a four-month trial and three weeks of deliberation.
- 8 From September onwards: Five more trials are scheduled as part of Operation Lytton.
- Seven men were found guilty of 50 sex offences, leading to their conviction.
- The case highlighted systemic failures in child protection by social workers and other authorities.
- The ongoing Operation Lytton investigation continues, with five more trials scheduled.
- The survivors endured years of misery and permanent trauma.
What: Seven men were found guilty of 50 sex offences, including grooming and sexually exploiting two vulnerable teenage girls, known as Girl A and Girl B. The crimes involved providing drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and shelter in exchange for sex, and occurred in various locations.
When: The crimes were committed between 2001 and 2006. Mohammed Zahid was jailed in 2016 for an earlier grooming case, and Roheez Khan was convicted in 2013 for a previous trial. The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on Friday (June 13, 2025), following a four-month trial and three weeks of deliberation.
Where: Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. The trial took place at Manchester Minshull Street crown court. Some perpetrators were stallholders on Rochdale’s indoor market.
Why: The men preyed on the vulnerability of the girls for their 'depraved sexual gain', abusing, degrading, and then discarding them. The case also brought to light systemic failures by social workers and other authorities who 'should have done far more to protect them'.
How: The men facilitated the abuse by providing the girls with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and places to stay, expecting regular sex in return. The abuse occurred in various unsanitary and public locations.