Basharat Khaliq

Basharat Khaliq, aged 38 from Deanwood Crescent in Bradford, was the first of nine men to encounter the two teenage victims in 2008 when they were both 14 years old and living in a children's home. As detailed in the trial at Bradford Crown Court, Khaliq, then 27, met the girls and took them to a petrol station where he purchased a bottle of vodka for them, marking the beginning of a prolonged period of grooming and sexual exploitation.

Over the following years, Khaliq groomed and repeatedly raped one of the girls, and on one occasion also abused Fiona Goddard, one of the victims who later waived her anonymity. The prosecution, led by Karma Melly QC, described how the men, including Khaliq, took advantage of the girls' vulnerability due to their age and living situation in the children's home. The abuse involved the use of drink, drugs, and violence to control and exploit the teenagers.

The case came to light in 2014 after Fiona Goddard saw a BBC report on similar grooming scandals in Rotherham and contacted authorities. Following a six-week trial, Khaliq was found guilty of five counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration. Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, sentencing him to 20 years in prison, remarked on the lack of respect shown by the defendants for basic standards of decent behaviour.

Fiona Goddard, now 25, shared in her impact statement: 'I can't change what's happened, but I can rebuild my life.' Outside court, she told the BBC: 'These men have influenced every aspect of my life, for as long as I remember. Today, I got to stand in front of them and take that control back.' The judge praised her courage, noting that she had found her voice after years of powerlessness.