Saqib Raheel

Saqib Raheel, aged 34 and of Upper High Street, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on 20 August 2021 following a nine-day trial in May 2021, as part of West Yorkshire Police's Operation Tendersea probe into historic child sexual exploitation in Kirklees. A jury found him guilty after deliberating for eight hours and 14 minutes on charges related to the abuse of a 15-year-old girl a few years after initial attacks in 2006.

Raheel, along with Sholan James and a third man, sexually abused the vulnerable and isolated 15-year-old girl before Raheel raped her. Her phone number was subsequently passed around to the men's friends. Raheel subjected the victim to 'humiliation and degradation' by boasting that he let 'his boys go first' and recording the abuse. The grooming was described by Judge Simon Phillips QC as 'insidious and persistent', targeting girls due to their extreme vulnerability, perceived naivety, and difficult family circumstances.

• Convictions: Rape of an underage girl and sexual assault of an underage girl in relation to the second victim.

Victim impact statements read by prosecutor Kate Batty revealed the second victim's severe anxiety, binge-eating, suicidal thoughts, and struggles with social situations and employment. The court heard how victims were often left 'almost senseless' upon returning home and faced fear of consequences if they did not comply with the abusers. Judge Phillips noted the pattern of abuse emerging in the trial, similar to earlier proceedings, where complainants were children or young persons rendered vulnerable by their situations.

Raheel was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison. The judge stressed the severity of the sentences to deter similar behaviour, stating, 'The sentences are severe and intended to be so and to deter others from behaving in this way.' This sentencing forms part of ongoing efforts under Operation Tendersea to address grooming gangs in Huddersfield, bringing justice for historic sex attacks on teenagers.