Romulad Stefan Houphouet

In a harrowing case of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, Romulad Stefan Houphouet, an Ivorian national now aged 37 from Burngreave in Sheffield, was convicted at Sheffield Crown Court of multiple sexual offences, including rape. The trial, which lasted five weeks, revealed how Houphouet and his associates targeted two extremely vulnerable teenagers living in a children's home, befriending them with alcohol, cigarettes, and flirtatious attention at house parties to groom them for sexual abuse.

The offences occurred more than 10 years ago, between 1997 and 2013, as part of the broader Rotherham grooming scandal investigated under Operation Stovewood by the National Crime Agency (NCA). Prosecutor Gordon Stables described how Houphouet first encountered the girls in Rotherham town centre one evening, promptly raping one of them in an alleyway that same night. He then took both girls to a nearby house where he introduced them to Absolom Sigiyo and other men, establishing a pattern of exploitation. Houphouet specifically selected one girl as his victim, subjecting her to regular penetrative sexual activity several times a week over six months. The girls, described as 'powerless to prevent the actions of older and more mature individuals determined to exploit them for sexual purposes', were psychologically conditioned to view sexual intercourse as repayment for the alcohol and tobacco provided.

• Houphouet befriended the victims in Rotherham town centre.
• He raped one girl in an alleyway on the night they met.
• Over six months, he and associates assaulted the girls multiple times weekly at parties.
• The victims were kept intoxicated to facilitate the abuse.

Senior investigating officer Kath Blain of the NCA stated: 'This is one of the most harrowing cases I have investigated. Sigiyo and Houphouet lured two vulnerable girls to parties where they kept the children intoxicated so they could abuse them in the worst ways.' The convictions stem from the landmark Jay Report of 2014, which exposed the abuse of at least 1,400 girls by gangs in Rotherham during that period. Operation Stovewood, the largest such investigation in UK history, has identified over 1,100 child victims, nearly all girls, with costs exceeding £90 million.

Following the guilty verdict on Monday, Judge Sarah Wright remanded Houphouet in custody, with sentencing scheduled for Wednesday. Martin McRobb, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, emphasised: 'These defendants preyed on vulnerable young girls who they knew they could groom with alcohol and gifts with the sole aim of repeatedly sexually exploiting them.' The bravery of the now-adult victims in coming forward was highlighted, providing a measure of justice for the irreversible trauma inflicted.