Rapist convicted after attacking victims at same Rotherham location

Waleed Ali (42) has been imprisoned for six years following an investigation by the National Crime Agency, under Operation Stovewood, which was set up to tackle historical child abuse crimes in Rotherham.

He had a previous conviction for raping a 13-year-old girl in the same alley in 2003 and that corroborated the victim’s account of what happened.

She was approached by detectives who believed she may have been sexually abused as a child and she explained what had happened to her as a 14-year-old – something she had not reported to police.

Ali, then in his early 20s, targeted the girl after seeing her sitting alone at a water fountain in Rotherham town centre.

He was with a group of men who approached her and asked her to go into an alley with him.

She refused – but he grabbed her by the arm and tried to get her to her feet.

Because she was intimidated by Ali and the other men, she went into the alley with him and, out of public sight, he raped her.

When Ali, who now lives in Scunthorpe but lived in Rotherham at the time, was interviewed in 2021, he told detectives he felt "sick” at the questions they were asking – and despite his previous record for rape and indecent assault.

Senior investigating officer Stuart Cobb said: “After speaking with the victim, National Crime Agency officers meticulously identified corroborating evidence.

“For 21 years the victim suffered in silence but her brave testimony, combined with our investigative work, ensured her attacker faced justice.”

Ali was found guilty of raping a girl aged under 16 and was jailed for six years following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

His brother Abdul Ali (42), of Rotherham, was accused of attempting to rape a girl aged under 16 and was found not guilty. The charge had been against the same girl.

Operation Stovewood still has more than 50 live investigations, with 37 offenders now jailed as a result of NCA work.