London, November 14 (Yes Punjab News)
One of the men convicted of raping a teenage girl who was groomed and sexually exploited in the UK’s Rotherham area is believed to have fled to Pakistan after absconding ahead of his trial, according to a media report.
Sky News reported that the National Crime Agency (NCA) said Kamir Ifzal Khan, 37, who was on conditional bail, flew to Qatar on September 22 and is believed to have travelled onwards to Pakistan.
The other accused, Mudasar Hussain, was also on conditional bail and had been required to surrender his passport. The NCA said he could still be in the UK but may have left the country illegally.
Khan and Mudasar Hussain, both 37, were convicted along with Mudasar’s brother, Ghazanfar Hussain, 42, at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday. Mudasar Hussain was found guilty of 12 counts of rape, Khan of two counts of rape and one count of sexual exploitation, while Ghazanfar Hussain was convicted of one count of rape.
The victim was 13 and 14 when she was groomed and sexually abused between 2008 and 2010, first by Mudasar Hussain and later, separately, by Ghazanfar Hussain and Khan.
According to the NCA, Khan began abusing the girl after she started visiting a takeaway where he worked. He allegedly gave her food, money and cigarettes and took her along on delivery trips. The agency said he also took her to a house several times and asked her to have sex with other men. She refused, but on one occasion he allegedly left her alone at another address with a man who raped her.
The three men were arrested as part of Operation Stovewood, launched in 2014 following the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal. The operation has identified and supported around 1,150 potential victims and secured 60 convictions against 55 people, the report said.
The three men were scheduled to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday. Police have appealed for public assistance in locating the two men who remain at large.
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