Seven men have been convicted of raping two vulnerable schoolgirls in Huddersfield.

Usman Ali, Banaras Hussain, Abdul Majid, Gul Riaz and three other defendants were found guilty today (Tuesday) after a four-week trial.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court took 12 hours and 49 minutes to convict the men of 12 offences, including rape and indecent assault.

The victims, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were raped in the Huddersfield area between 1995 and 2007 after they were groomed between the ages of 12 and 14.

The rapists, three of whom cannot be named for legal reasons, have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced tomorrow morning (Wednesday).

During the trial, prosecutor Kate Batty told the jury that the victims were vulnerable and had low self-esteem and were deliberately targeted by older men.

She said they were groomed by being made to feel special, including by being given cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.

The abuse happened in cars, car parks, Greenhead Park, a hotel and flats, including in a flat belonging to a man who was 'involved with drugs and had a gun'.

Mrs Batty said the first victim was introduced to older men by a schoolfriend and soon found herself regularly 'out of it' with drink and drugs, adding: "She didn't know their names half of the time or she would know only their nickname.

"She was threatened, she was spoken down to, she was intimidated and she was assaulted.

"She was frightened and she saw absolutely no way out of this life."

Mrs Batty said:

"By the time she was 15 years old, [one of the girls] estimates that she had had sex with up to 300 men."

"Not because she wanted to, or because she was freely consenting to that sex, but because she became utterly corrupted and was made to believe that she had no choice."

She said the victim's family did everything they could to keep her safe and sought help from social services and the police 'time and time again', adding: "Back then, perhaps the authorities didn't have the understanding that they now have about grooming and child sexual exploitation.

"Social services eventually told [the girl's] family that [she] must love it if she keeps going back."

Speaking about the second victim, Mrs Batty said: "The final straw for her was when she was thrown out of a car with her trousers round her ankles, having had sex with two or three of the men in the car - she can't remember [how many].

"She was drunk and drugged. She was 15 years old."

Ali, also known as Johnny, 34, of Park Drive in Huddersfield, was unanimously convicted of two counts of rape.

Hussain, 39, of Scarborough Road in Shipley, was unanimously convicted of one count of rape.

Majid, also known as Smokey, 35, of Lightcliffe Road in Crosland Moor, was unanimously convicted of two counts of rape.

Riaz, also known as Saj, 43, of Balmoral Avenue in Crosland Moor, was unanimously convicted of two counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault.

A 37-year-old man was unanimously convicted of one count of rape.

A 36-year-old man was unanimously convicted of one count of rape.

A 30-year-old man was convicted of rape by a majority.

The Crown Prosecution Service and the local police commented on the case after the verdicts were delivered.

Michael Quinn, from the CPS, said: "At the heart of this case are the two victims. They have suffered immensely as a result of their childhood abuse. We would like to acknowledge their great courage in coming forward to assist the investigation and then to support the prosecution.

"I sincerely hope the convictions of their abusers will go some way to helping these young women to rebuild their lives. Our thoughts remain with them."

DCI Richard McNamara, of Kirklees District Police, said: "The men involved in these vile offences have robbed their victims of their childhood and abused them in truly appalling ways.

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"It is difficult to imagine the impact on the victims of the abuse they suffered but it is clear their courage in reporting what was done to them and in supporting the prosecution has helped take some dangerous men off our streets.



"The guilty verdicts today will hopefully be a milestone for them in seeing those responsible begin to pay for what they have done as will the forthcoming sentences of these individuals."