History > 2016 > UK > Justice (I)

Rotherham: eight men jailed

for sexually exploiting teenage girls

Members of grooming ring sentenced
on charges including rape
and false imprisonment of girls as young as 13

Friday 4 November 2016

13.42 GMT

Last modified on Friday 4 November 2016

15.42 GMT

The Guardian

Eight members of a Rotherham grooming ring have been jailed for between five and 19 years for sexually exploiting and causing “immeasurable and far-reaching harm” to a teenage girl.

The eight men had been found guilty of 19 charges, including rape, indecent assault and false imprisonment of girls as young as 13 between 1999 and 2003.

A Sheffield crown court trial, which ended in October, heard how the men “sexually degraded” their victims, subjecting them “to acts of a degrading and violent nature”.

The men jailed on Friday were Sageer Hussain, 30; Mohammed Whied, 32; Ishtiaq Khaliq, 33; Waleed Ali, 34; Asif Ali, 30; Masoued Malik, 32; Basharat Hussain, 40; and Naeem Rafiq, 33.

The judge, Sarah Wright, said they had caused “severe psychological harm” to their three victims.
Rotherham rape victim: 'Justice could have been done 13 years ago'

The main complainant, now 27 and a campaigner against child sexual exploitation, told the Guardian she felt vindicated after the men were convicted.

“I just couldn’t quite believe it. I felt vindicated. Yet when the verdicts came in, it proved to me that justice could have been done 13 years ago. That could have saved me a lot of heartache,” she said.

The woman, who uses the pseudonym Emma Jackson, said her abusers threatened to “gang rape” her mother if she did not submit to their sexual abuse, which took place largely in an alley behind a branch of Boots in Rotherham town centre, in a park and in bushes near a museum.

Her family were so afraid they moved to Spain after complaining to the police, social services, their MP and the then home secretary, David Blunkett, the court was told.

The woman told jurors that Sageer Hussain – who is of British-Pakistani origin, along with all but one of the other men in the dock – first raped her behind Boots when she was 13 and later called her a “white slag” when she tried and failed to stop him.

She told police that the first and second time he raped her, between 1 January and 4 April 2003, he told her to scream so that his friends, waiting nearby, would know to come and watch. He was found guilty of four counts of rape and one of indecent assault.

After the convictions, the National Crime Agency said it was separately investigating more than 11,100 lines of inquiry relating to non-familial child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2003.

Thirty-eight people had been designated “suspects” with many more under investigation, according to the NCA, which is carrying out the independent investigation at the request of South Yorkshire police.

NCA staff have been talking to 133 alleged victims and survivors and have recorded 163 crimes. They have identified 17 distinct investigations under the overall inquiry.

Nine people have been arrested as part of the operation, codenamed Stovewood, with all suspects bailed until November and December, and one organised crime group has been mapped, identifying the nature and scale of its offending. Money laundering, other financial crime and drug-related offences have also been identified.

The operation began after the publication in August 2014 of the Jay report, which said at least 1,400 children in Rotherham had been sexually exploited over a 16-year period from 1997.

Sageer Hussain, of Goole, was jailed for 19 years for waging a “campaign of violent rape” and intimidation against a girl who was only 13 at the time. He had been found guilty of four counts of rape and one of indecent assault.

His brother Basharat, also of Goole, was jailed for seven years for indecent assault, to run concurrent with the 25-year jail term he is serving after being convicted of other sexual offences earlier this year.

The brothers’ cousin and Sageer’s driver, Mohammed Whied, of Kimberworth, was jailed for five years for aiding and abetting rape.

Ishtiaq Khaliq, of Eastwood, was jailed for 17 years for rape and three counts of indecent assault.

Waleed Ali, of Rotherham, was jailed for 13 years for rape and indecent assault.

Another of the Hussains’ cousins, Asif Ali, of Rotherham, was jailed for 12 years for rape.

Masoued Malik, of Rotherham, was jailed for 15 years for rape, false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit indecent assault.

Naeem Rafiq, 33, of Bradgate, was jailed for eight years for conspiracy to commit indecent assault and false imprisonment.

In a moving victim impact statement read to court, Jackson described how she has panic attacks, anxiety and eating disorders as a result of the abuse.

“There are things and experiences I will never get back or ever have. Things such as going to my school prom, experiencing my last day of school and getting my shirt signed, going on my first holiday with my friends and picking out universities,” the statement said.

“Those are things I should have done but they were ripped away from me. I don’t know what it is to be a teenager. I will never have memories to look back on and laugh at from that time.”

Jackson and the two other victims were in court as Wright jailed their abusers. They sobbed and wiped away tears as their victim impact statements were read to the court.

Their abusers showed no emotion as they were jailed. Sageer Hussain appeared to smirk as he was led away.

Wright said each of their victims were “groomed, coerced and intimidated”. Their abuse was “carefully planned”, she said, adding: “An abuser would build up their trust and it is a common feature of this case that abusers are often described as initially caring and loving but then turning to becoming controlling and domineering.

“Some victims were given alcohol and/or drugs and each of them was given attention. The power that you, the abusers, were then able to have over them meant that the girls distanced themselves from their parents or carers.”

Wright praised the dignity and bravery of the victims and their families.

In a statement read by police outside court, one of the victims urged others to report grooming: “I know grooming still goes on but I feel that the help is available now if you speak out. Groomers thrive in the silence of others. Speak out and someone will listen.”

She added: “If you see a child in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable please report it, [child sexual abuse] is everyone’s issue and we all play a part in stamping it out.”

DCI Martin Tate, senior investigating officer, said: “The rape and sexual abuse of children is completely abhorrent and this group have shown no remorse for their crimes, forcing the young women who came forward to report this awful abuse to relive traumatic experiences before the court.

“We are indebted to the victims, who have supported our investigation and have shown remarkable strength in attending court to give evidence.”

It can now be reported that four brothers have been involved in, and jailed for, running the Rotherham grooming ring.

Sageer and Basharat Hussain are the brothers of two men jailed for 19 years and 35 years respectively in February. They were among 12 men and two women, including Basharat, who were jailed for exploiting vulnerable girls in Rotherham.

It can also be reported that Sageer Hussain blamed the Rotherham abuse scandal on young girls wearing miniskirts who were “screaming rape”, in a television interview two years ago.

“The biggest problem you have these days is you have young girls, that are dressed up ie miniskirts, stuff like that, they’re going into the clubs and they’re ending up going with blokes, stuff like that, and they’re waking up the next morning and they scream rape,” he claimed in a Channel 4 News interview in 2014.

Rotherham: eight men jailed for sexually exploiting teenage girls,
G,
4 November 2016,
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/04/
rotherham-child-sexual-exploitation-eight-men-jailed

Murderer of schoolgirl

Kayleigh Haywood

to serve at least 35 years

Stephen Beadman,
who raped and killed 15-year-old, imprisoned along with his neighbour,
who helped hold her prisoner

A landscape gardener who raped and murdered a 15-year-old schoolgirl after holding her prisoner has been ordered to serve at least 35 years behind bars.

Stephen Beadman, who raped Kayleigh Haywood and then battered her to death on farmland after she was lured to the home of his neighbour Luke Harlow, was given a life sentence at Nottingham crown court.

The judge, Mrs Justice Cox, told Beadman: “The pain, terror and anguish that would have been suffered by this young girl is truly horrifying to contemplate.”

Harlow was jailed for 12 years for grooming Kayleigh on Facebook and falsely imprisoning her at his house in Ibstock, Leicestershire, in the hours before her death.

The judge told both men: “The case has shown once again the dangers to which young users of social media are exposed, to the grief and bewilderment of unsuspecting parents.”

Beadman, 29, and Harlow, 28, showed no emotion as the sentences were read out but there were cries of “yes” from the public gallery, which was packed with members of Kayleigh’s family, including her parents, Stephanie and Martin.

Many family members had been in tears as they heard the judge again describe how Kayleigh had been groomed online by Harlow, who tricked her into going to his home without her parents’ knowledge.

At the flat, he sexually abused her before inviting in his neighbour Beadman. The pair kept her captive for more than five hours, the judge said.

She said it may never be known exactly what went on in the flat during that time, but in the early hours of 15 November last year Kayleigh ran out the house half-naked pursued by Beadman.

After a neighbour saw him pin her to the ground in the street, he took her across a road where he raped her before marching her for a mile and a half across rough ground to where she was killed.

The judge said Kayleigh had so many serious injuries to her face that she had to be identified through her dental records.

She said: “I am entirely satisfied on the evidence that she would have been acutely distressed and frightened … She must have been absolutely terrified.”

The judge was told on Friday that police had found child abuse images and extreme pornography on computers belonging to Beadman. Officers also found that he had been searching for extreme pornography the day before he went to Harlow’s flat when Kayleigh was inside.

Beadman admitted murder and rape but denied holding Kayleigh prisoner. Both men were found guilty this week of falsely imprisoning Kayleigh.

Jurors were told that Harlow – a horror film fan who used the online name FunTimes and billed himself as a “professional serial killer” on Twitter – had pleaded guilty to grooming Kayleigh and engaging in sexual activity with her.

The former warehouse and bar worker also admitted attempting to meet two other teenagers after grooming them online.

The judge described the messages he sent to all three girls as “chilling”.

The court heard how he had used Facebook, WhatsApp and text messages to befriend Kayleigh, after vowing to “kidnap and keep” other girls during online conversations.

The prosecutor Miranda Moore QC said Harlow had tricked the girls into thinking “they were his princess, his only one, he would look after them and care for them”.

The judge said both the girls he targeted other than Kayleigh had said they were deeply traumatised by what had happened to them.

But the judge noted that both believed he was their boyfriend and one said she still loved him, which she said testified to the chilling nature of online grooming.

The judge told Kayleigh’s parents they should not blame themselves for not spotting the dangers of online grooming.

She said: “It seems to me this is every parent’s worst nightmare. It is absolutely clear to me absolutely no blame can be attached to them for what happened.”

After killing Kayleigh, Beadman, who told police he used a brick as a weapon, conducted a Google search for “lime pit” and used his computer to access a betting website.

The body of Kayleigh, from Measham, was found three days later, hidden in a hedgerow near a stream, after an extensive police search involving more than 300 officers.

Kayleigh met Harlow for the first time after asking her father – who thought she was staying with her best friend – for a lift to Ibstock on 13 November.

Gary Bell QC, defending Harlow, said his client did not know Beadman would kill the teenager but added: “She should not have been put in the path of the monster that lived next door. She should have been home in bed.”

He said his client had been attacked in prison and had to spend all day locked in his cell for fear of further assaults.

Det Supt Kate Meynell, from the East Midlands special operations unit, who led the investigation, said: “The convictions for false imprisonment have given us an insight into the horrific circumstances in which Kayleigh died.

“I’d like to take this moment to echo the judge’s comment and also recognise the immense courage, strength and dignity shown by Kayleigh’s family – both during the initial investigation and throughout the subsequent court process.”

An NSPCC spokesman said: “Kayleigh’s tragic death is an example of the way the online world is increasingly being exploited by abusers. Young people face real threats on social media and it is vital we fight to keep our children safe online.

“Last week the NSPCC revealed more than 3,000 sex crimes using the internet were committed against children last year. It is vital that police are given the resources to tackle this rapidly developing 21st-century crime.

“Parents can also seek advice through the NSPCC’s Net Aware website and helpline, operated in partnership with O2, on 0808 8005002.”

Murderer of schoolgirl Kayleigh Haywood to serve at least 35 years,
G, Friday 1 July 2016,
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/01/
murderer-of-schoolgirl-kayleigh-haywood-at-least-35-years-prison

Ben Butler jailed for life

for murdering six-year-old

daughter Ellie

Father told to serve at least 23 years
over girl’s killing months
after he persuaded high court judge
to return her to his care

Tuesday 21 June 2016

14.26 BST

Last modified on Tuesday 21 June 2016

15.30 BST

The Guardian

Ben Butler has been sentenced to life in prison as a judge told him he may never be released following the “horrific” murder of his six-year-old daughter Ellie.

Mr Justice Wilkie said Butler must serve a minimum of 23 years, adding: “You are very far from being a good parent; you are a self-absorbed, ill-tempered, violent, domineering man.”

He told the Old Bailey in London that Butler had left his dead daughter on the floor “like a prop in a stage scene” and described his call to 999 two hours after her death as “deceit” on a “breathtaking” level.

Butler, 36, was convicted on Tuesday of murdering Ellie, who was found dead in October 2013 in the family home in Sutton, south-west London. She had suffered fatal injuries similar to those inflicted in a high-speed car accident, just 11 months after Butler had convinced a judge to return her to his care.

Jennie Gray, the girl’s mother and Butler’s partner, was jailed for 42 months for child cruelty as well as her part in covering up her child’s murder.

The 36-year-old was convicted of the first charge on Tuesday after earlier pleading guilty to covering up her daughter’s death and perverting the course of justice to “save the skin” of her violent and aggressive partner.

In a unanimous decision, the jurors sided with the prosecution, who said Butler “consistently teetered on the edge of a violent loss of temper” and had killed Ellie in a fit of rage when minding her alone at home.

Butler, who is unemployed, mumbled angrily as the verdicts were returned. Gray said: “Big mistake, big mistake, big mistake.”

Butler, who was holding a bible that Gray has brought to court every day, did not stand up when the verdicts were returned.

Butler’s effort to regain custody of Ellie had included an extraordinary press campaign by the former PR guru Max Clifford and was successful in spite of warnings from the child’s grandfather and the local council.

Neal Gray, 70, who had cared for Ellie since she was 10 weeks old, spent all of his £70,000 savings fighting Butler in the courts. It can be reported for the first time that he warned Mrs Justice Hogg, the high court judge who ruled on returning Ellie to her father in 2012, that she would have “blood on her hands” if she did so.

“My words have come true,” Gray said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian during the trial.

Following a high court application by the media for the release of family court judgments related to the case, it emerged that the high court judge Mrs Justice King concluded in 2014 that “Ellie died as a result of the father either hitting her on the back of the head with the leg of a child’s table, or swinging her with such violence that her head came so forcefully into contact with the table leg … and she sustained the skull fracture”.

Ellie was killed by Butler in what the prosecution described as a “truly disturbing” case. Together with Gray, he then staged an elaborate cover-up. The pair put potentially contaminated clothes in the wash and dumped Gray’s torn-up diary, which exposed the “toxic” atmosphere in the house and their abusive relationship. He took the dog for a walk, trying to appear normal and smiling at neighbours while she texted work to say she was too ill to work.

It can now be reported for the first time that as part of their “cynical” cover-up, the couple set up a younger sibling who was in the house at the time of the murder to “discover” her body in her bedroom before calling an ambulance.
Ellie Butler's grandfather: 'The devastation is complete and utter'
Read more

Butler was jailed for 19 months for assaulting Ellie in 2007, when she was seven weeks old, but the conviction was overturned in 2010 following a judge’s assessment of new scientific research on shaken baby syndrome.

In a reverse of past tragedies such as the death of Baby P, the local authority, the London borough of Sutton, fought all the way to the high court to stop Ellie being returned to Butler and Gray despite his quashed conviction.

But Ellie was ultimately returned following a ruling in November 2012, when the then Mrs Justice Hogg declared Butler “exonerated”, adding it was “a joy” to see such a “happy ending”. She retired six days before the murder trial started, seven months earlier than expected.

Responding to the verdicts on Tuesday, Neal Gray said: “Today’s verdict is fantastic news … the tragedy is that none of this will bring our beloved granddaughter Ellie back to us.”

In a joint statement written before the trial, he and his wife, Linda, had described their devastation at Ellie’s death, saying: “She was our shining light.”

Linda died on the first day of the murder trial and Neal was understood to be too ill to give evidence. But the earlier statement recorded their pain at losing Ellie, saying: “Our lives have changed so dramatically due to the impact and shock and horror of this event that we struggle every day to deal with the reality of the death of our dear granddaughter Ellie. She was our shining light.

“Ellie was a very beautiful, bubbly and intelligent little girl who always had a smile on her face, and even at such a young age she was nobody’s fool. She was our life and she gave so much pleasure to us and our family too; how we all miss her.”

They added: “We have difficulty facing people and people have difficulty facing us and visiting our home. It affects our everyday lives. It was such a great privilege and pleasure to have been Ellie’s grandparents and to be able to have loved her in her short life.”

The couple did not directly refer to their daughter or Butler but they said: “We did not realise that some people could be so wicked in life.”

Butler was also sentenced on Tuesday to five years for child cruelty in relation to a series of untreated injuries Ellie suffered in the weeks before her death, including a broken shoulder.

The judge told Gray, who was verbally and physically abused by Butler, that her dependence on him was so deep that she was prepared to do anything for him, including participating in the “grotesque charade” of a 999 call two hours after Ellie was murdered.

It emerged during the sentencing hearing that the family rift caused by Ellie’s death was so profound that Gray was not told of her mother’s death just before the trial started.

In an interview with the Guardian, her father said: “It is hard to accept that your offspring has helped cover up the murder of her own child. It’s indescribable. It’s the most heinous crime in the world.

“We’ve had no contact with the mother or the father since the incident and we do not ever want any more contact ever again,” said Gray speaking for himself and his two other children.

“I haven’t even told them that my wife had died and that was my wife’s dying wish,” he said. “She’s not our family any more, Jennie.”

Gray sobbed in the dock as her lawyer, Bernard Tetlow QC, said she had just found out about her mother’s death.

The investigating officer, DI Dave Reid, said: “Butler and Gray set about orchestrating a set of lies to blame everyone but themselves for Ellie’s murder and the events leading up to it. They lied throughout the investigation and continued making outlandish accusations against a variety of people and organisations throughout their trial at the Old Bailey. However, investigating Ellie’s murder and tragic story meant detectives gathered a huge amount of harrowing evidence that proved Butler did indeed kill Ellie and Gray helped him cover it up.

“Whilst their convictions today will bring little comfort to Ellie’s beloved grandparents with whom she lived for the majority of her short life, or to all those who loved her, I hope they will go some little way to assuring them justice has now been achieved.”

Based on pathologists’ evidence, prosecutors said Ellie was possibly thrown into a wall or to the ground by Butler, suffering multiple fractures to the head along with thoracic bleeding. Butler, then an unemployed removals man, who has a string of convictions – including assault on a former girlfriend – denied throughout the trial that he was responsible for Ellie’s death.

Butler told jurors he had found Ellie unconscious in her bedroom at about 12.45pm on 28 October 2013, but that he had gone into shock and needed to lie on the floor to recover. He summoned his on-off girlfriend home from work and she agreed not to phone 999 because, they claimed, they feared they would be blamed because of his 2007 conviction.

But over 10 weeks, jurors heard how the “toxic and dysfunctional” relationship had descended into extreme verbal, and probably physical, abuse before culminating in the brutal murder of a six-year-old girl.

The jury was shown examples from three months of abusive texts, in which Butler called Gray a “stupid useless cunt” a “fat, disg[usting] dog bitch cunt” and a “dog whore”. He told her he was “disgusted” when she got pregnant and frequently told her he “hated” her or that she was “finished”.

She would respond by telling him she loved him and would put him before everyone, including the children. In one, she said she would “rather jump off a skyscraper” than disturb his sleep. Throughout the trial and police investigation, Gray denied she was a victim of domestic violence, despite diary entries in which she prayed for a “magic spell” to make Butler love her and texts begging him not to beat her.

But in the end the jury sided with the prosecution, who accused her of being a “skilful and prolific liar” who would do or say anything to protect Butler.

A serious case review is expected to be released later on Tuesday.

Ben Butler jailed for life
for murdering six-year-old daughter Ellie,
G, 21 June 2016,
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jun/21/
ben-butler-found-guilty-of-murdering-six-year-old-daughter-ellie