BRADFORD/HALIFAX PAEDOPHILE RING: JUDGES REJECT APPEALS IN YORKSHIRE

In March 2019, the highest court in England and Wales dismissed appeals from six men involved in a horrific case of child sexual exploitation in West Yorkshire. The case centered around a teenage girl, referred to as A, who was subjected to a harrowing ordeal of grooming and abuse, being passed around among numerous men who treated her as a "sex toy."

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, along with Mr Justice Goss and Mr Justice Lavender, presided over the Court of Appeal hearing held in Sheffield. They heard how A, who was 13 years old when the abuse started in 2016, had endured a traumatic childhood before falling victim to a group of men in Halifax. These individuals exploited her, offering her alcohol and drugs, and then sharing her among themselves for sexual gratification.

Lord Burnett described the abuse as extremely damaging, stating, "It is difficult to imagine a child being more damaged by the sexual abuse to which A was exposed." He further commented, "The overall circumstances of this offending transcend the imagination of most people."

In 2016, 15 men were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court for their roles in the exploitation of A and another girl, following four trial sessions. On Wednesday, six of those men, who had received sentences up to 25 years, appealed against their sentences imposed three years earlier by Judge Geoffrey Marson QC.

Among those appealing was Hedar Ali, 36, from Bradford, who was given the longest sentence of 25 years. He was convicted of two counts of rape and two charges of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Other appellants included:

- Haider Ali, 41, from Halifax, sentenced to 20 years after being found guilty of sexual activity with a child and causing a person to engage in sexual activity;

- Khalid Zaman, 38, from Bradford, sentenced to 17-and-a-half years for two counts of rape and supplying class B drugs;

- Mohammed Ramzan, 35, from Bradford, sentenced to 15 years for rape;

- Tahir Mahmood, 43, from Halifax, received an 11-year term after being convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child and sexual assault;

- Taukeer Butt, 31, from Halifax, sentenced to 10 years following his conviction on four counts of sexual activity with a child.

All six men's appeals were rejected. The barristers representing them argued that while they accepted the girl had suffered significant psychological harm, the trial judge had exaggerated their clients' roles in causing this harm. Lord Burnett emphasized that the court did not accept these arguments, noting that Judge Marson had carefully recorded that these appellants contributed to, but were not the only causes of, A's lasting issues.

He highlighted that the "extreme vulnerability of A"—being passed from person to person and used sexually by numerous men—was a primary reason the original sentences were placed in the highest category for sentencing, reflecting the severity of the offenses committed against her.