Seven men have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 25 years for raping and committing other crimes against two underage girls in Rotherham, England. According to investigators, the cases are among the worst to have occurred during the long-standing gang abuse in the city in the north of England. A special commission had identified more than 1,100 children who were victims of sexual exploitation there between 1997 and 2013.
Victims were initially only 11 and 15 years old
The cases led to great criticism of the police and authorities. According to an investigation, they ignored the crimes for years. The perpetrators were predominantly of Pakistani origin – this was also said to have not been discussed for a long time. Allegedly out of fear of being branded as racist.
The seven convicted men, aged between 38 and 49, are said to have abused their two victims from the age of 11 and 15. The sentences now announced by Sheffield Crown Court range from nine to 25 years in prison, the British news agency PA reported.
Similar patterns in many abuse cases in Rotherham
Both girls were temporarily placed in care facilities. Their tormentors are said to have regularly picked them up by car and supplied them with cigarettes, alcohol, money and drugs. The girls were then attacked, forced to perform sexual acts or raped. Similar patterns of so-called grooming of particularly vulnerable children had occurred in many other cases in Rotherham.
“The cruelty and abuse the victims suffered at the hands of these defendants was horrific and continues to have a lasting impact on their lives today,” a Crown Prosecution spokeswoman was quoted as saying by PA.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240913-930-231947/1
This is a message directly from the dpa news channel.
