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One of the Huddersfield grooming gang victims has urged police to find Sajid Hussain.

Hussain, also known as Fish, was convicted and sentenced in his absence to 17 years' imprisonment after he went on the run in June this year.

The 33-year-old, who has mental health issues, had given up his passport as part of his bail conditions.

Knowing he would be included in the second Operation Tendersea trial which was due to start on April 20 this year, Hussain sat in the public gallery during the first trial, appearing to try to get a flavour of what the future had in store for him.

On April 6, he was allegedly racially assaulted by a protester as he made his way into Leeds Crown Court with his pals - a charge that did not result in a conviction.

Eleven days later, the jury convicted eight out of the 10 defendants in the first trial.

And on June 1 when another jury were just a matter of hours away from convicting him of raping Girl A, he went on the run.

Sentencing, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said: "He has absconded during the course of the trial, but I make it clear that my sentence is not affected by that.

"Account will be taken of that once he is arrested and brought before the court."

Girl L had met Hussain through Irfan Ahmed, also known as Finny, and spoke about him in her evidence.

It resulted in him being charged with facilitating the commission of sexual activity on a child, but the charge was dropped before the trial.

Speaking to ExaminerLive, she said: "[They're the ones] who used to most of the time drive me around in cars and take me to parties."

Girl L said: "I think he shouldn't have got bail in the first place 'cause then he wouldn't have gone on the run.

"I know that they took their passports, but I think he's gone abroad - it doesn't stop him from using someone else's or making a fake passport."

When asked if she felt like justice isn't fully served until he's caught, she answered: "No, not at all."

When Hussain, formerly of Grasmere Road, Marsh, Huddersfield, was in his early twenties and working in a shop he met Girl A, who had already been 'corrupted' by the ringleader Amere Singh Dhaliwal.

Girl L, who was introduced to the men by her friend Girl A, was raped in Hussain's flat, which was in Great Northern Street, after Nasarat Hussain, also known as Nurse, borrowed the key to his flat.

Speaking about her daughter, Girl L's mum said: "Years after [the abuse] ended, she moved house but they still found her, followed her and tried to gain access to her home.

"She took an overdose and had to leave her home as she's too scared to go back.

"Not long after the sentencing, the police removed her panic alarms even though Sajid is on the run and she's worried as she gave evidence against him."

Speaking about some of the men not abiding by their bail conditions, she said: "I've seen Finny before and other people have seen Finny before with, I presume, his children.

"I used to see him at the swings or at the park.

"They all live quite nearby."

She continued: "It's quite infuriating to know [Sajid Hussain] was given bail in the first place.

"I just think that they should have all been remanded from the beginning and then we wouldn't have been in this situation.

"Because now she's just looking over her shoulder all the time.

"Until he's caught I think she [won't] feel a little bit better because he's out there somewhere and you just never know."

Girl L said she now has trust issues, is paranoid about people following her and has trouble sleeping.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "Each complainant was initially risk assessed and safeguarding measures were implemented as a result of this assessment. Risk assessment is an ongoing tool and the threat of risk and harm measured on a regular basis.

"These assessments have been reviewed continually and if there is no credible threat of any risk or harm, the CPAs [crime prevention alarms] were removed. The removal of CPAs has not affected other safeguarding measures given."

A warrant is out for the arrest of Hussain.

Birkby fire murder suspect Shahid Mohammed went on the run while on police bail in 2002 and it took a 12-year worldwide manhunt to locate and arrest him in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, followed by a three-year extradition process.