Nine men, mostly of Pakistani- and Afghani-origin, were today jailed for a total of 127 years by a British court for child grooming and sexual abuse of white teenage girls in the northern England town of Rochdale.
The men were charged with a catalogue of serious sex offences against seven females aged between 13 and 23 at the time of the abuse between 2005 and 2013.
Alison Cartmell from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the court that some of the offenders gave their victims "alcohol or drugs as a way of controlling or even incapacitating them".
"Some used violence and threats to intimidate and coerce them into having sex," she added.
Judge John Potter at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court said two of the victims had suffered psychological harm due to the sexual abuse.
"They were subjected to cross-examination which suggested they were not telling the truth. Each dealt with this ordeal impressively. I have little doubt that each of the victims have been affected by your abuse of them to some degree, some far more than others," he said.
Detective Chief Inspector Jamie Daniels of Greater Manchester Police said: "This was an extremely complex case and I want to commend the victims for the immense bravery they have shown.
"The process can be emotionally demanding and traumatic for the victims and we do not underestimate the courage this took."
The men were arrested under Operation Doublet, investigating child sexual exploitation of white teen girls by older Asian men in the city near Manchester.
The investigation was a result of a number of other Asian men being found guilty of child abuse since 2012 and has led to racial tensions in the region.
The men, mostly of Pakistani- and Afghani-origin, are aged between 26 and 45 and include Shayfur Rahman, Kutab Miah, Rehan Ali,Iklaq Choudhry Hussain, Mahfus Rahman, Ashfaq Yousaf, Afraz Ahmed, Mohammed Davood and David Law.
Their charges included rape, conspiracy to rape, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual activity with a child and sexual assault.
Hussain, who was sentenced to 19 years today, is on the run and is believed to have fled the UK to Pakistan during his trial.
The 38-year-old had claimed during the trial that a family member had died and was given permission by the judge to attend the funeral - which he had said wasdue to be held in Britain.
However, he neverreturned to court.
British police had launched a manhunt for him earlier this year and said it is determined to bring him back to face justice.
