Esmatullah Haidaree

Two men from Slough, Berkshire, have been imprisoned following their conviction for serious sexual offences against three teenage girls. Esmatullah Haidaree, aged 46, of Farm Crescent, Slough, and Azim Ahmed, aged 23, of Diamond Road, Slough, were found guilty at Reading Crown Court in December 2014. The offences, which took place in 2013, involved the abuse of three girls aged 14 and 15.

Haidaree was convicted on two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and four counts of sexual assault. He received a sentence of 24 months' imprisonment. Ahmed faced conviction on five counts of sexual activity with a child and was jailed for six years. Both men had denied the charges throughout the trial.

The investigation began in the early hours of 7 April 2013, when Thames Valley Police were alerted by a member of the public about two girls sleeping on a spare mattress in a flat in Slough. Upon arrival, officers discovered the girls along with a third victim, who had been subjected to abuse by Haidaree and Ahmed. The pair were arrested in May and June 2013 and formally charged in March 2014 by Thames Valley Police's Child Abuse Investigation Unit.

In addition to their custodial sentences, both offenders were ordered to sign the sex offenders' register and received a 10-year sex offences prevention order, as well as a 10-year restraining order. They were also banned from working with children. The case highlights the vigilant work of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit in protecting vulnerable young people, as stated in the official police report.

Source: BBC News, based on court proceedings at Reading Crown Court and statements from Thames Valley Police. The convictions were reported on 16 December 2014, with sentencing details following shortly thereafter.