Sixteen men have been jailed for a total of more than 200 years as part of a grooming gang who abused 15 girls in and around Huddersfield between 2004 and 2011.

Four more men have been found guilty and are waiting to be sentenced for offences such as rape and trafficking for sexual exploitation.

A series of trials on the case could not be reported because of a blanket reporting ban imposed a year ago.

The ban was lifted by the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl QC, on Friday.

Those already sentenced have received prison terms totalling 221 years.


The men embarked on a "campaign of rape and other sexual abuse" against vulnerable teenage girls aged between 11 and 17.

The group's ringleader Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was jailed for life earlier this year and told he must serve a minimum of 18 years in prison by judge Geoffrey Marson QC who said: "Your treatment of these girls was inhuman."

Sixteen men have been jailed for more than 200 years as part of a grooming gang who abused 15 girls in and around Huddersfield between 2004 and 2011.

Dhaliwal, who has children of his own, was convicted of 54 separate charges, including 22 rapes involving 11 different girls.

The judge told him earlier this year: "You treated them as commodities to be passed around for your own sexual gratification and the gratification of others.

"The extent and gravity of your offending far exceeds anything which I have previously encountered."

The judge added: "Children's lives have been ruined and families profoundly affected by seeing their children, over months and years, out of control, having been groomed by you and other members of your gang."

Michael Quinn, head of the complex case unit at CPS South Yorkshire and Humberside, said outside court: "This complex case involved the cynical exploitation of young girls by a group of older men.

"The scale of the offending meant that the case had to be broken down into a number of trials, some of which were concluded earlier this year."

Image: The abuse took place in Huddersfield between 2004 and 2011. File pic

He said the men who have been convicted "deliberately targeted their victims because of their vulnerability", adding that the men "groomed them and exploited them for their own sexual gratification".

Mr Quinn said the men used violence and plied their victims with alcohol and drugs.

It is alleged that the trials were put at risk by English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson.

Robinson claimed the activities of the gang were being covered up because the offenders were of Asian origin.

But reporting of the case was only being postponed for legal reasons.

The restriction was put in place because the defendants were being dealt with in separate trials.

In such cases, reporting is sometimes postponed until the final case so jurors cannot be influenced by reading accounts of previous trials.

Of the 20 men convicted, 16 have been jailed and four will be sentenced next month.

Each was referred to by a nickname.

Those convicted are:

Trial One

Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, of Holly Road, Huddersfield - jailed for life, minimum of 18 years (nickname - Pretos)

Irfan Ahmed, 34, of Yews Hill Road, Huddersfield - jailed for eight years ("Finny")

Zahid Hassan, 29, of Bland Street, Huddersfield - jailed for 18 years ("Little Manny")

Mohammed Kammer, 34, of West View, Huddersfield - jailed for 16 years ("Kammy")

Mohammed Rizwan Aslam, 31, of Huddersfield Road, Dewsbury - jailed for 15 years ("Big Riz")

Abdul Rehman, 31, of Darnley Drive, Sheffield - jailed for 16 years ("Beastie")

Raj Singh Barsran, 34, of Caldercliffe Road, Huddersfield - jailed for 17 years ("Raj")

Nahman Mohammed, 32, of West View, Huddersfield - jailed for 15 years ("Dracula")

Trial Two

Mansoor Akhtar, 27, of Blackmoorfoot Road, Huddersfield - jailed for eight years ("Boy")

Wiqas Mahmud, 38, of Banks Crescent, Huddersfield - jailed for 15 years ("Vic")

Nasarat Hussain, 30, of Upper Mount Street, Huddersfield - jailed for 17 years ("Nurse")

Sajid Hussain, 33, of Grasmere Road, Huddersfield - jailed for 17 years ("Fish")

Mohammed Irfraz, 30, of North Road, Huddersfield - jailed for six years ("Faj")

Faisal Nadeem, 32, of Carr Green Lane, Huddersfield - jailed for 12 years ("Chiller")

Mohammed Azeem, 33, of Wrose Road, Bradford - jailed for 18 years ("Mosabella")

Manzoor Hassan, 38, of Bland Street, Huddersfield - jailed for five years ("Big Manny")

Trial Three

Niaz Ahmed, 54, of Woodthorpe Terrace, Huddersfield - to be sentenced on November 1 ("Shaq")

Mohammed Imran Ibrar, 34, of Manchester Road, Huddersfield - to be sentenced on November 1 ("Bully")

Asif Bashir, 33, of Thornton Lodge Road, Huddersfield - to be sentenced on November 1 ("Junior")

Mohammed Akram, 33, of Springdale Street, Huddersfield - to be sentenced on November 1 ("Kid")