Five men have been jailed for sexually exploiting teenage girls in Rotherham.

The judge, Michael Slater, said the authorities at the time had been “totally ineffectual” as he sentenced the men to between four and 24 years.

Aftab Hussain, 40, was sentenced to 24 years, and Abid Saddiq, 38, to 20 years. The judge at Sheffield crown court described Saddiq as a “cunning and determined sexual predator”.

Masaued Malik, 35, was jailed for five years; Sharaz Hussain, 35, for four years; and another man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for 10 years.

Four of the five men sentenced to prison in Sheffield on Friday: (left to right) Abid Saddiq, Aftab Hussain, Masaued Malik, Sharaz Hussain. Photograph: NCA/PA

Malik was told his sentence would run concurrently with a 15-year term he was serving for similar offences.

After the trial, Slater said he was “quite satisfied” the relevant authorities had been aware vulnerable teenagers in the South Yorkshire town were being targeted for sexual exploitation more than a decade ago.

The judge said it was a “lamentable state of affairs”, adding that the authorities at the time were at best “totally ineffectual” and at worst “wholly indifferent”.

The trial was part of Operation Stovewood, a large National Crime Agency investigation into the sexual exploitation of teenagers in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. The agency estimated 1,510 people in the town were victims.

A total of 20 men have been convicted as a result of the inquiry.