A total of 25 men mostly of South Asian descent have been sentenced to a collective 346 years in prison over the “abhorrent in the extreme” rape, sexual abuse, and trafficking of girls between 1999 and 2012 in the North Kirklees area of West Yorkshire.
Operation Tourway, an investigation starting in 2015 focussing on the towns of Batley and Dewsbury, has jailed 25 men in connection to the “absolutely shocking offending” sexual abuse, rape, and trafficking of eight girls, whom the police said were treated as “defenceless commodities to be abused and traded at whim”.
The arrests took place in late 2018 and all 24 men — mostly of South Asian descent — were charged in December of 2020. The men were found guilty in a series of five trials at the Leeds Crown Court between 2022 and 2024, however, reporting restrictions were only lifted on Friday.
Commenting on the convictions, Detective Chief Inspector Oliver Coates, of the Kirklees Police, said: “Now that reporting restrictions have been lifted we can, for the first time, disclose full details of all those sentenced so far in what has been a long trial process.”
“Throughout the last two years, juries have heard details of absolutely shocking offending committed against victims in these cases.
“Some of these men received in excess of 30 years each for the multiple offences they committed and the unbelievably callous and degrading way in which they treated these then-young girls.
“Men such Asif Ali, who alone was found guilty of 14 rape offences, committed appalling sexual abuse on a scale which can barely be believed, and saw their young victims as defenceless commodities to be abused and traded at whim.”
DCI Coates went on to praise the courage of the women who came forward to report the abuses they suffered as girls, saying: “Their bravery in coming forward and identifying their abusers has allowed us to take action against men whose offending and behaviour can only be described as abhorrent in the extreme.
“Far from being powerless, however, those young women have instead fought back as adults and forced them to account for their crimes. They displayed real courage and determination in giving evidence through what have been lengthy trials and supporting our investigations.
“I hope they can find some closure and satisfaction in knowing they have enabled police and partners to mount a huge and highly difficult investigation which has taken sexual predators off our streets for years to come.”
According to the West Yorkshire Police, those sentenced are:
Khurum Raziq (42) from Heckmondwike sentenced to 22 years after being found guilty of eight offences of rape.
Nasar Hussain (46) from Dewsbury sentenced to 18 years after being found guilty of three rape offences.
Zafar Qayum (44) from Dewsbury sentenced to 30 years for six counts of rape, five counts of indecent assault and three counts of aiding and abetting rape.
Ansar Qayum (47) from Dewsbury was sentenced to 20 years for four counts of rape and one offence of attempted indecent assault.
Mohammed Jabbar Qayum (43) from Dewsbury was sentenced to 13 years for two offences of rape committed against one victim.
Mohammed Imran Zada (45) from Batley sentenced to 15 years for four offences of rape and an offence of sexual activity with a child – 15 years
Michael Birkenshaw (37) from Wakefield was sentenced to eight years for an offence of rape.
Amran Mehrban (40) from Batley sentenced to 13 years for two offences of rape and an offence of assault by penetration
Sarkaut Yasen (38) from Dewsbury sentenced to 15 years for an offence of trafficking and three offences of aiding and abetting rape.Mohammed Saleem Nasir (48) from Dewsbury sentenced to 19 years for three offences of rape and an offence of aiding and abetting rape.
Irfan Khan (37) from Batley sentenced to 12 years and five years extended licence for three offences of rape and an offence of making threats to kill
Omar Farooq Hussain (39) from Batley was sentenced to 18 years for four offences of rape.
Sarfraz Hussain Riaz (40) from Dewsbury was sentenced to 15 years for two offences of rape and an offence of attempted rape.
Zafar Iqbal (38) from Batley was sentenced to 17 years for an offence of indecency with child, trafficking and three offences of rape.
Nasar Iqbal (38) from Batley was sentenced to 10 years for an offence of trafficking and an offence of rape
Mohammed Chothia (47) from Batley was sentenced to 17 years for four offences of rape and an offence of trafficking
Bilal Patel (42) from Leicester was sentenced to 13 years for an offence of trafficking and an offence of rape.
Asif Ali (53) from Batley was sentenced to 24 years for 14 counts of rape, two offences of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and offences of trafficking for sexual exploitation, intentionally encouraging or assisting an offender and aiding, abetting or procuring rape.
Mohammed Tauseef Hanif (39) from Dewsbury was jailed for nine and a half years for an offence of rape.
Ali Shah (38) from Dewsbury was sentenced to 10 years for one offence of rape.
Moshin Nadat (38) from Heckmondwike was sentenced to seven and a half years for one offence of rape.
Safraz Miraf (49) from Dewsbury was sentenced to four and a half years for an offence of attempted rape
Mohammed Nazam Nasser (38) from Batley was sentenced to seven and a half years for an offence of rape
Amir Ali Hussain (45) from Batley was sentenced to eight years for an offence of rape.