Two of Rotherham child-abuse gang shout 'Allahu Akbar' in court after being handed jail terms

Six men including three brothers have been jailed for more than 80 years in total for committing multiple child-sex offences against two girls in Rotherham, South Yorkshire nearly 20 years ago. Five of the six men were found guilty of 21 offences relating to their victims following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court on 25 January 2017.

The sixth defendant, Amjad Ali, pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13 at a court hearing last year.

Brothers Basharat Dad, 32 and Nasar Dad, 36, both of Eastwood, and Tayab Dad, 43 of Tinsley were convicted of 16 offences between them, including rape, indecent assault and false imprisonment.

Basharat Dad was handed a 20-year sentence, with Nasar Dad and Tayab Dad jailed for 14-and-a-half years and 10 years respectively.

Following their sentencing, 40-year-old Mohammed Sadiq and Matloob Hussain were both given 13 years and a year on licence. Ali was handed an 11-year prison term following his guilty plea last year.

Two of the men, Ali and Tayab, shouted "Allahu Akbar" from the dock after their sentences were handed down to them, reported the Rotherham Advertiser.

The men were arrested following a damning report by Professor Alexis Jay in August 2014 that revealed how 1,400 children were abused and trafficked in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. South Yorkshire Police temporary detective chief inspector Martin Tate said: "Today's hearing is the culmination of a lengthy and complex investigation into the sexual abuse and exploitation of vulnerable children in Rotherham nearly two decades ago.

"This is our third significant inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, and with the lengthy jail terms handed down to these individuals today, we have now put 18 criminals behind bars for over 280 years. This was a South Yorkshire Police-led investigation in partnership with Rotherham Council and the Crown Prosecution Service, and I would like to thank them for their assistance with the investigation.

"Following the successes achieved, we will now continue to move forward using the learning and best practice we have acquired over the last few years, through work done with our brave victims, their families and partnership agencies, to apply this practice to future investigations. I'd encourage any victims and survivors out there who are yet to come forward to please get in touch or tell someone you trust. Officers and specialist support agencies are here to listen, to investigate and to bring perpetrators of this heinous crime before the courts."

Reviewing lawyer Mark Langan of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "These men were found guilty of a catalogue of vile sex offences against two young girls. The girls were targeted by these men because they were naive and vulnerable. They were given alcohol and cannabis, and intimidated into performing sexual acts. On one occasion, one of the young girls was locked alone in a flat for hours without food, water or electricity.

"These young girls were subjected to the most appalling abuse at the hands of these men. They have both shown extraordinary courage in coming forward and enabling us to work with South Yorkshire Police to build a strong prosecution case, which resulted in the jury returning guilty verdicts on 21 of 23 charges.

"These six defendants have now been sentenced to more than 80 years in prison for their crimes. I hope this is of some comfort to their victims, and our thoughts remain with them both."