Asghar Bostan

Asghar Bostan, a taxi driver in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was convicted of two counts of raping a girl under 16 between 2000 and 2002. He exploited his position to groom and assault the victim, part of the broader Rotherham grooming scandal involving over 1,400 children. Bostan's crimes were typical of the gangs that used taxis to abduct and abuse girls, often after plying them with substances.

Prosecuted by South Yorkshire Police, Bostan was sentenced to nine years at Sheffield Crown Court in 2018. The victim was assured he would be banned from Rotherham upon release, but in 2022, she spotted him just a mile from her home, leading to his recall to a Category B prison for breaching terms.

• The victim told prosecutors: 'I was promised safety, but seeing him nearby terrified me.'
• The 2014 Jay Report criticised police for ignoring such patterns due to ethnic sensitivities.

Serving four-and-a-half years initially, Bostan's recall underscores enforcement issues. A January 2025 MailOnline exposé listed him among offenders whose releases heighten victim fears, with limited monitoring allowing breaches.

Source: Daily Mail, 11 January 2025; Sheffield Crown Court, 2018.