Suran Uddin

Three men from east London, including Suran Uddin, were convicted at Norwich Crown Court for abducting a vulnerable 13-year-old girl and forcing her into sexual slavery. The incident, which occurred in early 2013, involved the girl being lured into a van driven by Uddin and taken to a house in Ipswich where she was abused over four days until rescued by police.

The court heard that Uddin, aged 26 from St Matthew's Row, Bethnal Green, along with Hamza Ali and Mohammed Sheikh, exploited the girl's youth and naivety. They treated her 'like a piece of meat', passing her between them for sexual purposes. Uddin was specifically convicted of two counts of rape, conspiracy to traffic in the UK, and supplying a class B drug to the victim.

• Uddin drove the van that abducted the girl from the streets of east London.
• The group took her to a house in Chevallier Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, where the abuse took place.
• The judge noted the men had no intention of helping the girl but instead sought to exploit her sexually.

Judge Nicholas Coleman addressed the defendants, stating: 'Instead of helping this girl find refuge, you were all intent on sexually exploiting her for your own ends.' He added that she was taken to a town she'd never visited, in the company of strangers, and passed about over four days. The girl, from a troubled family, was left traumatised by the ordeal.

In mitigation, Scott Ivill argued for Uddin, noting he was married with two children and that any custodial sentence would impact his family. Despite this, Uddin was sentenced to 15 years in prison and placed on the sex offenders register. The case was reported by the BBC on 27 February 2013, highlighting the severity of the sex trafficking and abuse committed against the minor.