Three convicted of sexually abusing school girl in Oxford

During the major trial into child sexual exploitation, which began in October, prosecutors said that some of the men groomed their victim and repeatedly raped and ‘pimped' her out for sex.

The jury of four men and eight women were told at the start of their trial at Oxford Crown Court that one girl was treated as a 'sexual commodity.'

Naim Khan, 41, of no fixed abode, Mohammed Nazir, 44, of Wood Farm Road, Oxford, and Raheem Ahmed, 42, of no fixed abode had all denied a string of charges alleging rapes, indecent assaults and drugs supply.

• READ AGAIN: Our repor from the opening of the case in October.

After a total of 28 hours and 25 minutes of deliberations jurors returned verdicts to 35 of the counts they faced yesterday afternoon with no decision forthcoming on the four remaining counts.

Khan was convicted of eight counts of rape and seven counts of indecent assault.

He was also found guilty of a further count of supplying a controlled drug of class B to another.

Naim Khan

Nazir was convicted of seven counts of rape and eight of indecent assault, as well as one count of supplying a controlled drug of class B to another.

Mohammed Nazir

Ahmed was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault and supplying a controlled drug of class B to another.

Raheem Ahmed

Afzal Mohammed, 42, of Randall Street, Oxford, was cleared of any wrong-doing and found not guilty of the single count of rape that he faced.

• READ AGAIN: Alleged abuse victim denies making claims to 'improve her position'.

As he was acquitted he lowered his head and covered his face with his hands, visibly emotional.

During the two-month long trial prosecutors told jurors that the offences had involved three girls, aged between 13 and 15, between 1999 and 2001 in Oxford.

Outlining the case Alan Gardner for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “The case is about sexual exploitation of young girls in Oxford between 1999 and 2001.

“The prosecutions case is […] that the sexual exploitation took the form of rape, sexual assaults, conspiracy to commit those offences, the supply of drugs in order to facilitate these offences, and kidnap and false imprisonment.

“You will hear during the course of the trial three women […] who will say when they were in their early to mid-teens they were the victims of some of these offences at the hands of these defendants.”

• READ AGAIN: Woman who claims she was repeatedly raped and sexually abused denies 'making up' account.

Detailing the extent of the abuse Mr Gardner said the victims – none of whom can be named for legal reasons – were all ‘vulnerable.’ Speaking of one of the women – who was the subject of the large majority of the allegations – he said she was ‘treated as a sexual commodity for the use of older men.’ He said: "Naim Khan, the prosecution say, began to pimp her out to other Asian males, made her sexually available to other men in return for payment."

That girl – now a woman – was aged between 14 and 15 - at the time of the offences.

He told jurors: “She was routinely sexually exploited over a period of time by numerous men [...] to whom she was made available for sex.”

That same victim endured several hours of cross examination in which her account was tested at court by defence barristers representing the accused men.

Paul Hinds, for Nazir, asked the woman if she was 'prepared to lie' in order to avoid prison, which she denied.

He also asked her if there was a 'link between the amount of trouble [she] was in' and what she told officers.

He put to her: "I suggest you are making allegations in order to improve your position."

She replied that she had not.

She went on: "I am still on drugs now, I take drugs most days."

After the guilty verdicts to the majority of the counts were returned yesterday presiding Judge Peter Ross thanked the jury for their dedication to the case.

Once he had discharged them from the case he went on to exempt all 12 jurors from carrying out any further jury service for the rest of their lives.

The final sentencing date for the convicted men was adjourned and a hearing will be held at the same court today to decide whether a re-trial will be sought on the four outstanding counts.