Child groomer serving time for murdering Rotherham teenager given new 18-year jail sentence

Mohammed Ahsen (35, pictured) pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent assault after being charged as part of the National Crime Agency's investigation into historic abuse in Rotherham.

Ahsen was part of a violent grooming gang, including six other men, who preyed on vulnerable girls between 1998 and 2002.  

Five of the other men were jailed last month for a total of 63 years for 20 offences against eight girls.

Today, Judge Michael Slater, sitting at the same court, sentenced Ahsen to 18 years in prison for the indecent assaults committed between 1999 and 2001, which will run alongside his current life sentence.

In 2006, Ahsen then aged 21, was jailed for the murder of 19-year-old club-goer Kimberley Fuller, who he stabbed at the Escape nightclub in Ship Hill.

Judge Slater said as a teenager Ahsen had been “influenced by and involved in a pre-existing criminal culture”.

Addressing Ahsen, Judge Slater said: “You were fully aware of the vulnerabilities of the complainants at the time and preyed upon it, in my view.”

He called him a “determined sexual predator” whose victims had been fearful of him.

“I am also satisfied that from time to time you used and threatened violence in order to satisfy your sexual demands,” he added.

Ahsen was also charged with raping a Sheffield schoolgirl twice between 2000 and 2001 — but these charges were not brought forward by the NCA after the alleged victim died last year. 

The judge ordered not guilty verdicts to be formally entered in respect of these charges.

Ahsen’s name was given as Ahsan in earlier documents relating to the murder case and his barrister in this latest case said he was known by both versions.

He is the 20th person to be convicted as part of Operation Stovewood, the NCA’s investigation into allegations of abuse and exploitation in Rotherham.

Speaking after the sentencing, NCA senior investigating officer Philip Marshall said: “His victims were chosen because of their vulnerability and I hope his conviction, like those that came before it, have demonstrated our commitment to getting justice for those victims as they rebuild their lives.”

A reporting restriction remains in place relating to a sixth man convicted in the trial which concluded last month. 

He is due to be sentenced at a date yet to be fixed.

An NSPCC spokesperson said after Ahsan's sentencing: “Ahsan’s appalling sex crimes again children have left vulnerable young people with horrific emotional, mental and physical scars from which they may never fully recover.

“We would urge any children or young people who have suffered physical or sexual abuse to speak out and seek help and support. The bravery of survivors can help ensure paedophiles such as Ahsan can be brought to justice.”

Children can contact 0800 1111 for support or advice. Adults with concerns about children’s wellbeing, or who wish to report historic sexual abuse, can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0800 8005000.