Twenty-eight sexual predators who preyed on helpless females in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England have received prison sentences totaling nearly 400 years. Another two men were jailed on 31st July at Leeds Crown Court as part of Kirklees Police’s ongoing Operation Tourway investigation into non-recent sexual assault.
Ebrahim Pandor and Amjad Hussain have been jailed for crimes perpetrated against a single female victim in Kirklees between 2004 and 2012. Pandor (44) of Dewsbury received a six-year sentence for child trafficking and Hussain (45) of Dewsbury has been sentenced to ten years in prison for rape.
Leeds Crown Court learned that the female victim in the recent case was trafficked by Pandor when she was between the ages of 13 and 14, and then raped by Hussain when she was 18.
Operation Tourway has been a long-running inquiry into the sexual abuse and trafficking of eight female victims in North Kirklees from 1999 to 2012. During the trials, juries heard numerous anecdotes of how vulnerable victims were targeted and groomed by their abusers, who exploited them almost like commodities.
Several individuals have been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, with one serving 30 years. The combined punishment of the 28 accused persons has now totaled 400 years.
Detective Chief Inspector Oliver Coates of Kirklees District Police commented on the matter and welcomed the punishment announced to the two accused. “During trials for Operation Tourway, juries have heard some shocking accounts of how badly these young women were abused, and this is reflected in the significant sentences handed down by the court. The simple fact that 28 men have been sentenced to almost 400 years in jail between them, speaks volumes for the depravity of some of the acts committed by them,” he said.
“The length of time between offences in this particular case illustrates the sheer hold defendants were able to exert on victims and the depth of the grooming the victim in this case, and in others like it, suffered. I want to thank her and praise her courage for coming forward in her 30s to make us aware of this dreadful offending and then proving so resolute in helping us secure justice,” he added.
