Six men jailed for abusing teenager 20 years ago

Six men who groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl in West Yorkshire have been jailed.

Mohammed Shebhan, Amzar Ali, Adal Manaf, Imran Hussain, Naveed Anjum and Mohammed Adnan carried out the abuse between May 2006 and May 2009 when the victim was aged 13 to 15.

In many of the incidents, the victim was plied with alcohol or drugs by her attackers, who were aged between 22 and 37 at the time, Bradford Crown Court heard.

All six men were found guilty in March following a six-week trial, and were jailed on Friday for terms ranging from four-and-a-half years to 14 years.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman wrote: "I was manipulated, controlled, plied with drugs and alcohol by adult men to make me feel 'special' and loved.

"But it was all an illusion, a tool used to take advantage of me so they could abuse me."

She added that her difficult family situation left her "very vulnerable" to these "predatory" men.

"Even now, I struggle to let people in. Even now, I am on edge, afraid that someone might take advantage of me again.

"The shame, the guilt, the self-blame I carried for years made me feel so isolated and alone.

"This was not just a single moment in my life, it was a series of events, a violation that leaves lifelong scars.

"I am trying to heal, but the harm done to me was deep and its effects are everlasting."

Shebhan, 42, of Wyvern Place, Halifax, was convicted of two counts of rape and jailed for 14 years.

Ali, 54, of Longroad Place, Huddersfield, was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child and jailed for 10 years.

Manaf, 48, of Cavendish Terrace, Halifax, was convicted of rape and jailed for eight years.

Hussain, 50, of Parkinson Lane, Halifax, was convicted of attempted rape and jailed for seven years.

Anjum, 50, of Kings Cross Road, Halifax, was convicted of one count of sexual activity with a child and jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Adnan, 44, of Stirling Street, Halifax, was convicted of one count of sexual assault and jailed for four-and-a-half years.

A seventh defendant, Khalid Kamran, 35, was found not guilty of one count of rape.

Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on a charge of rape against Mohammed Mahmood, 40.

Bethany Raine, specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service's Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said the victim had shown "immense courage".

"She was a child entitled to affection. These men offered her false affection so they could sexually abuse her. They have now been held accountable for their appalling crimes," she added.

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