Three men who preyed upon two vulnerable teenage girls and systematically sexually abused them between 1999 and 2001 in Oxford have been convicted.
Naim Khan, 41, formerly of Herschel Crescent, Mohammed Nazir, 44, formerly of Wood Farm Road and Raheem Ahmed, 42, formerly of Startwort Path were all convicted yesterday following a trial which began on October 14.
Senior investigating officer Mark Glover, of the Thames Valley Police Major Crime Unit, said: "These victims were groomed by a group of predatory men who used them for sex without any thought or care about the girls’ well-being or the emotional impact of what they were doing.
"To these men, these girls were not people, merely objects to be used for sex.
"The girls were befriended by these men, who then plied them with drugs, alcohol and sometimes arranged to take them to parties, all of which was very appealing to lonely teenage girls.
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"Once this relationship had been established, the men would start to put pressure on the girls for sexual favours, something the girls felt they needed to provide, almost as payment for the alcohol, drugs and supposed friendship the men had given them.
"Over time, the girls were treated simply as sexual commodities. Some of them were passed around groups of older men like objects and eventually discarded.
"All the while, the girls were unable to refuse these men’s demands. Due to the extent of their grooming, they felt like these sexual acts were consensual, but in fact they were anything but.
"These are very serious crimes, including multiple rapes and sexual assaults, as well as drug supply.
"The victims have had to live with the devastating consequences of these men’s actions in the years since, and understandably, it has affected their lives in a variety of different ways.
"Thanks to their bravery in reporting these crimes, these men have now been brought to justice. I would like to express my gratitude to them for this.
"My hope is that these women can now move forward with their lives, knowing that these men are paying the price for the crimes to which they were subjected when they were children."
Khan was found guilty by unanimous verdict of eight counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and one count of supplying a class B drug.
The jury failed to reach a verdict against Khan on one count of kidnapping and one count of false imprisonment.
His offences relate to two female victims, who were aged between 13 and 16 at the time.
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Nazir was found guilty by unanimous verdict of seven counts of rape, eight counts of indecent assault and one count of supplying a class B drug.
His offences relate to one female victim who was aged between 13 and 15 at the time.
Ahmed was found guilty by unanimous verdict of two counts of indecent assault and one count of supplying a class B drug.
The jury failed to reach a verdict against Ahmed on two counts of rape.
His offences relate to one female victim who was aged between 13 and 15 at the time.
A date for sentencing has not yet been confirmed.
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