Oxford men jailed for sexually abusing a teenage girl

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-36526128

Three men have been jailed for a string of sexual offences against a teenage girl in Oxford.

The victim was plied with drink and drugs between the ages of 13 and 15 and passed around “like a piece of meat”.

The offences included rape and indecent assault. On one occasion the girl was taken to woodland and told she would have her neck snapped.

She was in the care system when the abuse started and it continued between 1999 and 2007.

The defendants, charges, and sentences:

  • Assad Hussain, 35, was found guilty of five counts of rape, two counts of indecent assault, and one count of making a threat to kill – 12 years
  • Anjum Dogar, 33, was convicted of one count of rape and one count of indecent assault – 10 years
  • Akhtar Dogar, 35, was convicted of one count of indecent assault, two counts of rape, and one count of making a threat to kill – 10 years

Prosecutors said the crimes took place in wooded areas around Oxford and private addresses.

In sentencing, Judge Ian Pringle said: “This victim was perfect prey for those who wanted to sexually exploit her. There was clearly never any consent given.”

He said Akhtar Dogar had been the “principal player” in the “shocking” threats to kill, saying that he “used friendly companionship and turned it into an opportunity to serve his sexual desires”.

Image caption The three men were previously jailed after the Bullfinch trial in 2013

‘No longer consumed’

Following the verdict the victim, who cannot be named in order to protect her identity, gave a statement describing the “challenging and painful” experience.

“Looking back now I am relieved that I found the strength to speak out,” she said.

“It was easier to make myself heard than it was to hold it all inside.

“This process has been therapeutic for me, as I now feel stronger and I am no longer consumed by my past.”

Det Ch Insp Mark Glover paid tribute to the woman’s “immense bravery” for having to “relive the abuse…in court.”

Adrian Foster, chief crown prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service described her as a “vulnerable girl with a difficult background” who was “robbed her of her childhood”.

“A number of tactics were deployed to condition the victim and ensure compliance ranging from insincere flattery, the giving of gifts, plying with alcohol and drugs, and the use of threats,” he said.

“Ultimately, fear of non-compliance eroded her free will to consent. Emotional abuse, coercion and bribery provide no basis for free consent in law.”

The men were already handed jail sentences for their part in a sadistic sex grooming ring which abused children between 2004 and 2012.

In 2013 Akhtar Dogar and Anjum Dogar were jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years at the Old Bailey as part of Operation Bullfinch.

Assad Hussain was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child at the same time and received seven years.

The more recent trial lasted for six weeks at Oxford Crown Court and it took the jury more than 45 hours to reach their verdicts.

Owais Khan, 32, was found not guilty of five counts of rape and Alladitta Yousaf, 46, was cleared of four counts of indecent assault.

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