Mum of girl, 16, raped by three Somali men tells how their 50 friends and relatives harassed her during trial

THE MUM of a teenage girl who was gang raped by three Somali men has revealed

how she was harassed by more than 50 friends and family when they were

jailed for a combined 29 years.

Jane Smith (not her real name) claims she had to be smuggled into the back

entrance of Manchester Crown Court “as if she was a criminal” to

see the three men sentenced for raping her daughter, who was just 16 at the

time.

A herd of more than 50 family members and friends gathered at the court as

Bilal Ahmed, Mowled Omar Yussaf and Muhyadeen Osman were jailed for nine,

ten and ten years respectively.

Mercury Press 7

All three men, of no fixed address and Somali heritage, were 18 at the time of

the rape and lured the victim, now 19, to Victoria Park Hotel in Manchester

on August 9 2013 under the pretence of a game of “hide and seek”.

Jane claims throughout the two-month trial, relatives of the three men who

raped her daughter gathered in huge groups and deliberately intimidated her

and her family.

Many refused to move when they tried to get past in corridors, whispered abuse

under their breath and stared at the victim’s family in an attempt to

intimidate them.

Manchester Evening News 7

Family members of the rapists even protested with banners outside the court on

the day of sentencing and many mobbed prison vans as the men were driven

away from court.

Jane, 49, from Cheshire, said: “I was frightened throughout and my

husband was frightened. There were so many of them and many of them would

goad me when I walked past and deliberately try to intimidate us.

“It was scary. If this is what it does to us, then what would this be

like for the victim of a rape case?

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“My daughter was too traumatised and only attended the court on the few

days she had to give evidence, when thankfully there were less of them

around. But I think it is awful that if she would have attended towards the

end of the trial when more of them were there then she would have been

subjected to this. It’s a disgrace and the system allows this to happen.

“No wonder that so many people are too scared to prosecute over rape if

this is what they have to go through. We were scared throughout this but we

just knew we had to keep going to get justice.”

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Sentencing the trio at Manchester Crown Court today, His Honour Judge David

Fernandez said the victim had suffered “great emotional and physical

distress” as a result of the ordeal.

During the trial, the court heard how the victim, then 16, got a bus to

Manchester and met a fourth male, who she had previously exchanged text

messages with after being introduced by a mutual friend.

Mercury Press 7

He took the victim to the hotel to “meet his boys” – where the

pretence of a game of ‘hide and seek’ was suggested to the victim.

At the hotel the victim was introduced to Yussuf and Ahmed before becoming

involved in what she believed was a game of hide and seek, with the group

entering unlocked rooms.

CCTV footage showed the victim enter room 38 for around 30 minutes, where she

was subjected to rapes in the bathroom and bedroom.

Mercury Press 7

In the bathroom, Yussuf forced her to perform oral sex on him and then

molested her while Ahmed also orally raped her. Yussuf then raped the victim

from behind.

When that finished, Osman, who had been “keeping watch” outside,

entered the room and orally raped the victim in the bathroom before raping

her on the bed.

Cash and a mobile phone were stolen from her handbag during the incident.

DNA evidence linking all three culprits, who maintain their innocence, was

found on towels and bedsheets recovered from the scene.

Detective Constable Heather Clarkson from Greater Manchester Police, said: “The

victim has shown extreme bravery throughout the whole of this case and I

would personally like to thank her.

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“She has been supported by specially trained officers and she has shown

the determination to ensure Osman, Yussuf and Ahmed were brought to justice.”

A spokesperson for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service said: “We

take the needs of victims, witnesses and their families extremely seriously.

Mercury Press 7

“We take action to support them throughout their time in court including

arranging for victims and their families to access the building by a

separate entrance and ensuring that defendants’ families are seated in a

separate part of the courtroom.

“Any complaint of intimidation will be treated very seriously and

investigated urgently.”