Six men who sexually exploited and abused a 16-year-old schoolgirl have been jailed for a total of 14 years.
The “vulnerable” Sikh teenager was offered money for sex and taken to two flats, a guest house and a park to act as a prostitute.
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It is a criminal offence to pay anyone under 18 for sexual services.
Matthew Lowe, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court: “They were prepared to overlook her vulnerabilities and her age to satisfy their desires.”
Aabidali Ali (39), of Guthlaxton Street, Highfields, was jailed for five years.
He admitted two counts of paying for the sexual services of a child under 18 – at a guest house in Saxby Street, Highfields, and at a flat in Kashmir Road, St Matthews – as well one offence of facilitating child prostitution at the flat, between last November and January.
Rakib Iacub (20), of Maynard Road, Highfields, was jailed for three years.
He admitted offering to pay for the sexual services of a child and facilitating child prostitution, at the guest house.
He also admitted offering to pay the girl for a sexual encounter in a car at Leicester’s Watermead Park.
Wajid Usman, an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years.
He admitted one count of paying for the sexual services of a child, at a flat attached to the Mogul Durbar, restaurant in East Park Road, Spinney Hills.
Usman stayed at the flat for three or four weeks, whilst informally helping out at the restaurant – which was ransacked by members of the Sikh community, mainly from Derby, who were protesting about the perceived lack of police action in relation to the victim in this case, in January.
Bharat Modhwadia (25), of Wycombe Road, Humberstone, Leicester, received a 16 month sentence, after admitting paying for sexual services of a child, trafficking the girl – by giving her lift in his car – and inciting child pornography, in relation to nude pictures of the girl.
Hamza Imtiazali (25), of Kashmir Road, St Matthews was jailed for two years after admitting paying for and twice facilitating child prostitution.
Chandresh Mistry (37), of Berridge Lane, Belgrave, received an eight month sentence, after admitting attempting to pay for the girl’s sexual services, during Facebook messages – although they never actually met.
In mitigation, defence counsel said the men were remorseful and regretted bringing shame on their families.
None of them knew it was illegal to pay for, or offer to buy
, sexual services from anyone under 18.
News of the girl’s sexual involvement with the men circulated, along with nude photographs of her, in January.
It resulted in a group of 40 to 50 angry Sikh men bursting and attacking innocent members of staff, at the Mogul Durbar, who –apart from Usman – had nothing to do with the child exploitation, causing customers to flee in terror.
Judge Michael Pert QC said, with reference to the Mogul Durbar attack: “I want to make it plain the court won’t tolerate people taking it upon themselves to mete out what they perceive as justice.
“The reason I make these remarks is because this case had its origin in a personal tragedy that’s nothing to do with these defendants.
“The victim of these offences is articulate and attractive but for reasons unconnected with these defendants she was vulnerable.
“She was brought up in a traditional Sikh family and according to her she was extremely unhappy.
“She was smoking cannabis, drinking to excess and self-harming.
“She wanted to move out of her family home but had no money.
“She came up with a plan to sell her body for sex.”
He said: “Whilst none of these man played any part in her decision to prostitute herself, it’s equally fair to say anyone meeting her would realise she was a vulnerable young girl from a good Sikh family who was embarking on a disastrous course of action.”
Source: Leicester Mercury