ROTHERHAM RAPIST SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS FOR HISTORIC CHILD ASSAULT

A man named Waleed Ali has been sentenced to five years in prison for raping a teenage girl in Rotherham more than two decades ago. According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), Ali, who was in his 20s at the time, attacked the girl, who was 14, between 2003 and 2004. He deliberately targeted her while she was sitting alone at a water fountain in Rotherham town centre, then forced her into an alleyway where he raped her. Notably, Ali had a previous conviction for raping a 13-year-old girl in the same alleyway. Ali, now 42 and residing on Normanby Road in Scunthorpe, denied the charges but was found guilty by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court. He was convicted as part of Operation Stovewood, which investigates past instances of sexual abuse in Rotherham. The victim recounted that Ali and a group of men approached her, and despite her refusal to go into the alley with him, he grabbed her arm and attempted to force her. Under threat and intimidation, she entered the alley where the assault happened. During his arrest in September 2021, Ali denied the offence, describing the accusation as making him feel “sick.” Besides the five-year jail term, Ali has also been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely. The senior investigating officer, Stuart Cobb, emphasized the importance of the victim's bravery, stating, “For 21 years the victim suffered in silence but her brave testimony combined with our investigative work has ensured her attacker faced justice.” He further urged other victims of child sexual abuse to come forward and seek support, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. Ali’s case is associated with the wider Rotherham child abuse scandal, which has been extensively investigated and reported.