UK: Rotherham grooming gang convict believed to have fled to Pakistan after skipping trial

London: One of the two men convicted of raping a teenage girl who was groomed and trafficked in the UK’s Rotherham 20 years ago is believed to have fled to Pakistan after absconding ahead of the trial, a report said.

According to Sky News, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said that Kamir Ifzal Khan, 37, who had been on conditional bail, flew to Qatar on September 22 and is believed to have gone on to Pakistan.

“Mudasar Hussain had been on conditional bail ahead of his trial and had been forced to give up his passport. The NCA said he could still be in the UK, but he may have left the country illegally,” the report said.

Khan and Mudasar Hussain, both 37, were found guilty along with Mudasar’s brother, Ghazanfar Hussain, 42, at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday.

Mudasar Hussain was convicted of 12 counts of rape, Khan of two counts of rape and one count of sexual exploitation, and Ghazanfar Hussain of one count of rape.

“The victim was 13 and 14 when she was groomed and sexually abused - first by Mudasar Hussain, then separately by Ghazanfar Hussain and Khan between 2008 and 2010,” the report stated.

According to the NCA, Khan began abusing the girl when she started going to a takeaway he worked at, giving her food, money and cigarettes and taking her out on deliveries.

“The NCA said he also took her to a house on a number of occasions and asked her to have sex with other men who were there. She always refused, but one day he took her to another address and left her alone with another man, who raped her,” the Sky News report detailed.

The three men were arrested as part of Operation Stovewood, established in 2014 in the wake of the Rotherham exploitation scandal, which has identified and supported around 1,150 potential victims and secured 60 convictions against 55 people, the report said.

The three were scheduled to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, while officers appealed for the public’s help to find the two who are on the run.

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