Obaidullah Omari

In the early 2000s, Obaidullah Omari, then in his 20s, targeted two vulnerable girls aged between 13 and 14 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. As part of a grooming process, he supplied them with alcohol and drugs to lower their inhibitions before subjecting them to sexual abuse. The offences took place between 2003 and 2004, with Omari raping the first girl on multiple occasions at his house in Eastwood and in his car, and raping the second girl once.

The case came to light more than two decades later when both victims, now women, bravely came forward to report the abuse as part of the National Crime Agency's (NCA) Operation Stovewood. This ongoing investigation is the largest of its kind, examining allegations of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham from 1997 to 2013. Officers arrested Omari in 2019 after gathering the victims' detailed accounts.

Following a two-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court, Omari was found guilty on 4 September 2025 of three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault. He was sentenced to 19 years' imprisonment on the same day. NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan Hastings commented: "Today Omari begins an appropriately substantial prison sentence for the sexual offences he committed against two girls more than 20 years ago. The victims demonstrated immense courage both in reporting Omari’s crimes and in giving evidence against him. I’m pleased that Operation Stovewood has been able to secure justice for the women and I hope Omari’s conviction helps them move forward with their lives."

Operation Stovewood has led to the conviction of 48 individuals to date, highlighting the scale of child sexual abuse in Rotherham during that period. Omari, aged 46 and from Sheffield at the time of sentencing, now faces a lengthy term behind bars for his crimes.