A sex predator who groomed teenage girls bragged about a sexual encounter with one victim to the girl's mother, a court heard.

Abid Saddiq, 38, was one of five men who've been jailed after subjecting seven young girls to four years of continued sexual abuse.

Jurors heard during the seven-week trial he had seen his victim's mother in a local market and said: “I f****d your daughter the other day”.

The girls, who were all under 16 and 'vulnerable and craving attention and love', were deliberately targeted for the sole purpose of becoming sexual objects for the men between 1998 and 2002 in Rotherham, South Yorks.

Jurors heard evidence from the gang's victims about how the men committed rape, indecent assault and child abduction against them when they were at school.

Victim impact statements read out to Sheffield Crown Court, South Yorks., told how many of the victims suffer from depression and anxiety as adults.

They also told how one victim did not feel safe in her own home and would not leave the house after dark.

Others described how they were scared to visit the town centre and certain "hotspots" in the area where offences took place as they "brought back memories".

The court heard Saddiq, who was aged between 17 and 21 at the time of the offences, had suffered from learning difficulties and was "abnormally compliant".

But Judge Michael Slater described him as a "cunning, determined sexual predator" who knew "exactly" what he was doing.

Aftab Hussain, 40, Sharaz Hussain, 35, Abid Saddiq, 38, Masaued Malik, 35, and two other men aged 35 and 32 - who cannot be named for legal reasons - were found guilty of a total of 26 counts of sexual offences.

All the men lived in Rotherham and the surrounding areas and associated with each other at the time the abuse took place.

They would often act as a group and would share victims around amongst each other for their own sexual gratification.

Saddiq was sentenced to 20 years in prison for two counts of rape, five counts of indecent assault, and two of child abduction.

Sharaz Hussain was sentenced to four years in prison for four counts of indecent assault.

Masaued Malik, who is currently serving a 15 year sentence for similar offences, will spend a further five years behind bars for three counts of indecent assault.

Aftab Hussain, 40, will serve 24 years for two counts of indecent assault and two counts of rape, which he was found guilty of in October as part of a separate investigation.

A fifth man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for ten years for two counts of indecent assault.

Judge Slater told him he "could not think of a worse violation of a young girl by those who purported to be their friends".

A sixth man, who also can't be named, will be sentenced at a later date.

Judge Slater criticised the authorities in the town who he said he was "quite satisfied" were aware of what has happening, but were "at best totally ineffectual or at worst wholly indifferent".

He said: "It had become common practice for a significant number of Asian males and local females to meet up in and around Rotherham town centre at certain hotspots, such as the bus station and alleyway.

"The result was, more often than not, casual and perfunctory sex, either there and then or at more secluded locations or private properties.

"For the most part, these girls were under 16 years of age and still at school."

Judge Slater also praised the victims who he said "stood up to ensure what happened to them should never happen to other young girls in the future".

He said: "Nothing I can say to you can restore those childhoods of which you were cruelly deprived by the actions of these defendants and others.

"I can't leave this case without addressing a certain aspect of it which has caused me particular concern.

"On more than one occasion, I have heard of complainants expressing feelings of shame, guilt and self-loathing in relation to what happened to her and by extension to her family.

"With all due to respect, it seems to me the time for such wholly unjustified, but understandable, soul searching is over."

He praised the "incredible resolve and bravery" each victim had shown to bring the men to justice."

The men were brought to justice by the National Crime Agency, as part of Operation Stovewood, a multi-million pound investigation into allegations of abuse and exploitation in Rotherham.

It brings the total number of men jailed as part of the investigation to 20.

Senior Investigating Officer, Philip Marshall, said: “Six more men join the other 14 who have already been convicted of sexually abusing young girls in Rotherham, going back as far as 1997.

"They exploited vulnerable girls for their own sexual gratification and I am glad that today, they have been held accountable for their devastating actions.

“The victims in this case have shown immense courage and bravery in re-living what happened to them and I would like to thank them for helping us bring their abusers to justice.

“I hope these convictions build confidence with the victims and survivors we are currently working with – and those who are yet to come forward – showing that we will listen to you and do all we can to get positive court outcomes."

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news. We are on Instagram too. We'll also bring you live updates and notifications of breaking news on the M.E.N. app - download it here.