Four men jailed for 'violently abusing' vulnerable young girl in Telford

19 December 2019, 12:47

Ali Sultan, Amjad Hussain, Shafiq Younas, and Mohammad Rizwan
Ali Sultan, Amjad Hussain, Shafiq Younas, and Mohammad Rizwan. Picture: PA
EJ Ward

By EJ Ward

Four men have been jailed for sexually abusing a vulnerable young girl who was "passed around like a piece of meat".

Four men from Telford have been jailed for between four-and-a-half and eight years at Birmingham Crown Court

The victim told the court how she was forced to perform sex acts in a churchyard, raped above a shop on a filthy mattress, and violently abused when she tried to refuse their advances.

In all, five men went on trial at Birmingham Crown Court, leading to convictions for four of the defendants while another was cleared.

Sentencing the men on Thursday, Judge Melbourne Inman QC said the men had abused a "helpless" victim, who had been groomed until she was "no longer in effective control of her own life".

Addressing the ring-leader Mohammed Ali Sultan, Judge Melbourne Inman QC, the Recorder of Birmingham, said: "The victim was clearly extremely frightened of you, and you exercised significant control over her."

Turning to the three other men, he said: "There were a group of you using this girl, you all tended to meet in the same type of areas; a churchyard, or near a pizza place."

The offences took place in the Telford area of the West Midlands sometime between 2001 and 2002, and started when the girl, now an adult, was just 13.

The group were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court
The group were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court. Picture: PA

On Tuesday, Ali Sultan was unanimously convicted of rape and three counts of indecent assault.

Jailing "controlling" and abusive Ali Sultan for eight years, the judge said: "When last at liberty, you clearly attacked a number of victims over a prolonged period.

"Now the full extent of your offending is apparent, you've shown no remorse in relation to the present allegations and no insight as far as I can see into the offending.

"You remain, clearly, a very dangerous man."

Imposing a two-year extended licence period, the judge added: "You will be eligible for release, after serving two thirds of your sentence, but won't be entitled to release until the Parole Board is satisfied you don't represent a danger of the public."

Co-defendant Mohammad Rizwan, 37, of Mafeking Road, Telford, was also convicted of two counts of indecent assault. Rizwan, who saved the girl's phone number under the contact name "blowjob2", was handed a five-and-a-half year jail term.

Shafiq Younas, 35, of Regent Street, Wellington, near Telford, who was convicted of indecently assaulting the victim in a churchyard, was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Amjad Hussain, 38, of Acacia Drive, Leegomery, Telford, convicted of a single count of indecent assault on Tuesday, was also jailed for four-and-a-half years.

All the men must sign the sex offenders register, and both a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order were imposed on Ali Sultan.

A fifth man, Nazam Akhtar, 35, of Victoria Avenue, Wellington, was cleared of an allegation he raped the girl in the back of a car.