Mohammed Sheikh

At Norwich Crown Court, Mohammed Sheikh, 32, from Seaton Point in Hackney, was one of three east London men convicted of sex offences and human trafficking after abducting a 13-year-old girl and holding her as a sex slave in Ipswich. The abuse lasted four days in early 2013, during which the vulnerable girl from a troubled family was sexually exploited by the group.

Sheikh, along with Suran Uddin and Hamza Ali, took advantage of the girl's naivety to get her into their van and drove her to a house in Chevallier Street, Ipswich. The court learned they passed her between them, treating her 'like a piece of meat'. Sheikh was found guilty of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, conspiracy to traffic in the UK, and supplying a class B drug to the victim.

• The men exploited the girl's vulnerability, ignoring her need for refuge.
• The abuse occurred in a location unfamiliar to the girl, with strangers she had never met.
• Police rescued her after four days of repeated sexual exploitation.

Judge Nicholas Coleman remarked to the defendants: 'All three of you treated her like a piece of meat and passed her about. This happened over four days until she was finally rescued by police.' The judge emphasised their intent to sexually exploit her rather than help her. Maria Denine, mitigating for Sheikh, claimed the defendants were unaware of her troubled background.

Sheikh received an eight-year custodial sentence and was placed on the sex offenders register. He could face deportation to Somalia, his home country. The BBC reported the sentencing on 27 February 2013, detailing the conspiracy to traffic and the traumatic impact on the young victim.