'Despicable rats' Coventry sex abuse ring jailed Published duration 26 January 2017

image copyright West Midlands Police image caption Ringleader Waqaar Khan (top left) received the longest jail term of 14 years and six months

A gang of five men who trafficked six teenage girls for sex abuse in Coventry have been jailed.

Waqaar Khan, Kadeem Bourne, Kenan Kelly, Marcus Woolcock and Zahid Chaudhary had been accused of almost 40 offences, Warwick Crown Court heard.

Ringleader Khan befriended the girls, aged 15 to 17, on social media before picking them up and forcing them to have sex, sometimes filming it.

One victim's uncle dubbed the gang "despicable rats" at their conviction.

The abusers took the girls, some of whom were in care, to secluded areas of the city and sometimes gave them alcohol or drugs before abusing and trafficking them for sex.

One girl, aged 17, said she was knocked out by one of the men and came round to see them watching a video of her being raped while she was unconscious.

image caption Det Ch Insp Ian Green has praised the bravery of the victims for coming forward

Det Ch Insp Ian Green said Khan's name was mentioned to police in March as a mutual "friend" of several vulnerable young girls in the city.

A subsequent examination of his phone revealed thousands of text messages containing "sexualised conversations and several videos of graphic sexual abuse".

The men, who all know each other, thought they were "untouchable" and showed no remorse or empathy for their victims, Mr Green said.

Khan, 24, was convicted in December of three charges of rape and and two of trafficking. He was cleared of one charge of trafficking and seven rape charges. He was jailed for 14 years and six months, made to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely, given a restraining order and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Bourne, 23, was convicted of three rape charges, one sexual assault and one of trafficking. He was cleared of four rape charges. He was jailed for 13 years and six months, made to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely and given a restraining order.

Kelly 18, was found guilty of two rape charges, one of trafficking and one of sexual assault. He was sentenced to 10 years' detention in a youth offenders institution and given a restraining order.

Chaudhary 20, was found guilty of trafficking. He was cleared of one charge of rape and sexual assault. He was sentenced to 18 months' detention in a youth offenders institution

Woolcock, 22, was convicted of trafficking and sexual assault. He was cleared of five charges of rape, one of attempted rape, sexual assault, and trafficking. He was jailed for two years and six months, made to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely and given a restraining order.

Police said the investigation is not yet complete and they were still looking to identify gang members.

"Our investigation into Waqaar Khan's network is still ongoing and we are continuing to sift through thousands of texts to identify further potential victims and their abusers," Mr Green said.

"I hope that these convictions will give others the courage to come forward."