LONDON: Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has launched a public appeal to trace two convicted child rapists who absconded while on bail, with one believed to be hiding in Pakistan, after they were sentenced to a combined 48 years in prison for grooming, trafficking and repeatedly raping a vulnerable teenage girl in Rotherham.
Kamir Ifzal Khan, 37, and Mudasar Hussain, 37, were sentenced in their absence at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday after fleeing before their trial.
The NCA believes Khan travelled to Pakistan after flying to Qatar on September 22, while Mudasar’s whereabouts remain unknown. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that Hussain also fled Britain illegally.
The two men were sentenced to 25 and 23 years respectively, while a third convicted rapist, Ghazanfar Hussain, 42, the brother of Mudasar, was jailed for 10 years, bringing the total sentences to 58 years.
The NCA has appealed to members of the public, including anyone with information about the fugitives’ whereabouts, to help investigators locate them and bring them into custody.
Judge Sarah Wright sentenced Khan to 25 years after he was convicted of two counts of rape and one count of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Mudasar received 23 years after being found guilty of 12 counts of rape. His brother Ghazanfar, who attended court, was sentenced to 10 years for one count of rape.
The offences took place between 2008 and 2010, when the victim was aged between 13 and 15. The court heard how the teenage girl was systematically groomed, manipulated and sexually exploited by the men, who took advantage of her vulnerability.
Mudasar repeatedly raped the girl over a period of up to 18 months, supplying her with drugs and alcohol.
Khan groomed and exploited the victim, raped her at different addresses and attempted to persuade her to have sex with other men. On one occasion, he left her at a property where another man raped her because Khan owed him a favour, the court heard.
Judge Wright also considered Khan’s subsequent convictions for sexual offences against an 11-year-old girl. Ghazanfar raped the victim in a garage inspection pit, where the judge described her as effectively a prisoner.
Sentencing the men, Judge Wright said the girl had been “cynically and manipulatively groomed” and subjected to a “campaign of rape”.
She told the defendants: “You have each caused immeasurable suffering and far-reaching harm. She has shown bravery beyond measure in speaking about such intimate and traumatic experiences,” the judge said.
She contrasted the victim’s courage with the actions of Khan and Mudasar, who fled rather than face justice.
The NCA confirmed that Mudasar had surrendered his passport while on bail, raising concerns that he may have left the UK illegally. Khan is known to have flown to Qatar on September 22, with investigators believing he subsequently travelled to Pakistan.
The three men were prosecuted under Operation Stovewood, the major NCA investigation launched in 2014 following revelations of widespread child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.
According to the NCA, Operation Stovewood has identified and supported approximately 1,150 potential victims and secured 60 convictions against 55 individuals.
Investigators are continuing efforts to locate the two fugitives and have urged anyone with information about their whereabouts to come forward.
