Sageer Hussain

Sageer Hussain, a 40-year-old man from Rotherham, was convicted of raping a teenage girl in an alleyway in Rotherham town centre, an offence that occurred when both he and the victim were 14 years old. The incident took place between 2000 and 2002, during a period when the victim had already suffered abuse and exploitation in the area.

According to details presented at Sheffield Crown Court, Hussain led the girl down the alleyway and told her he would not allow her to leave unless she had sex with him. Despite her refusal, he proceeded to rape her while a male and another female were present, blocking her exit. The court heard that the girl cried throughout the ordeal, highlighting the traumatic nature of the assault.

The case came to light years later when officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) contacted the now-adult victim after identifying her as a potential child sexual abuse survivor. She bravely reported the incident, recounting how she used to see Hussain in the town centre during that time. This testimony, supported by corroborating evidence, led to Hussain's trial and guilty verdict in July of this year.

Judge Charles Thomas, in sentencing Hussain on Tuesday, remarked: "The sad fact of this case is that, despite her young age at the time, you were not the first man to have abused and exploited (the complainant) in this area and around this time." Hussain, who was already serving a 19-year sentence for raping another girl, received an additional three years, ensuring he remains in prison longer.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan Hastings praised the victim's courage, stating: "The victim has shown enormous strength and fortitude in reporting what Sageer Hussain did to her. The woman bravely told officers about Hussain’s horrific crime against her, and that significantly helped our investigation." Liz Fell, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, added: "These men deliberately exploited the victims’ youth and vulnerability to manipulate and control them. They sexually abused the victims, who were children, in the most horrendous way."

This conviction forms part of broader efforts by the NCA and CPS to address historical child sexual abuse cases in Rotherham, with two of Hussain's co-defendants, Kessur Ajaib and Mohammed Makhmood, awaiting sentencing for separate rapes of another 14-year-old girl starting in 1999.