Child abuser shouts "no justice" as he begins prison term

ONE of three child abusers shouted “no justice” as he was jailed for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl more than 20 years ago.
Pictured from left to right: Riaz Makhmood, Sajid Ali and Zaheer IqbalPictured from left to right: Riaz Makhmood, Sajid Ali and Zaheer Iqbal
Pictured from left to right: Riaz Makhmood, Sajid Ali and Zaheer Iqbal

The Masbrough men — Riaz Makhmood (39), of Falding Street, Sajid Ali (38), of James Street, and Zaheer Iqbal (40), of St John’s Avenue — were convicted of 15 child sex offences following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

Ali and Iqbal were both sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for seven and five counts of sexual assault respectively.

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Makhmood was jailed for six years and nine months for three counts.

The men abused the victim, now aged 35, in a car park and graveyard in Masbrough after plying her with alcohol and pressurising her into performing sex acts on them in 1994.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the victim, now 35, said that since the sexual abuse in 1993, she had suffered from anxiety, depression and an eating disorder.

Before the abuse she had been a “normal, outgoing happy child who mixed well with people”.

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But her abusers had made her feel “worthless” and she now struggled to mix with people and had low self-esteem and confidence, she said.

The abuse had affected her relationship as a teenager with her parents as her mother had not been able to understand her behaviour, she said.

“Despite all the things I have achieved since the abuse, I feel the exploitation has ruined my life,” said the woman.

“You are told you should look back on your teenage years with fondness, but the time I should have bonded with my parents I was distant and awkward.”

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But she added: “I have tried to overcome my emotions — I am determined not to let the perpetrators' steal my life as they stole my youth.”

To see justice done would make a massive difference to her recovery process, she said, adding: “Speaking out has and will make the hurt easier to live with.”

The court was told all the men had no previous similar convictions but all had been convicted of perverting the course of justice.

 

Father-of-four Sajid Ali (38) had previous convictions for criminal damage, driving matters and breach of orders. 

He was jailed in 2003 for perverting the course of justice

 

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Father-of-four Zaheer Iqbal (40) has convictions for perverting the course of justice and was imprisoned in 1999 for driving offences. 

His barrister said he was a “good neighbour and colleague” who as an adult had “led an entirely respectable life”.

 

Father-of-five Riaz Makhmood (39), who was 17 at the time of the offence, was imprisoned in 2003 for perverting the course of justice and received a 28-month custodial sentence for supplying heroin. 

 

Judge David Dixon said the three men had exploited the 13-year-old girl when she was “young and vulnerable because of her low self-worth”.

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Judge Dixon said she had been “groomed, coerced and intimidated” and “treated as a thing” to be passed around.

He added: “Sajid Ali, you deemed her an appropriate target.

“You started a grooming process. 

“You chatted to her. After a period of a few weeks you moved onto the second stage with your co-accused of providing her with alcohol and tobacco.

“In my view, that was to make her feel wanted and to lower her inhibitions.”

 

He continued: “Riaz Makhmood you were perhaps the nicest of the three, as she put it and at times showed her a degree of compassion — yet still you returned to her many, many times.”

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The judge commended the victim’s “bravery of the highest order” and paid tribute to her sister-in-law who had helped her come forward to report the abuse.

The trial was the first under the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood, which has superseded South Yorkshire Police’s investigation into historic child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.

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