CALDERDALE, England (Diya TV) —Twenty men, 19 of whom are originally from Pakistan, received a total of over 219 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing and exploiting young girls in Calderdale, England. The investigation started in 2016 in a set of complex legal cases over abuse that took place from 2001 to 2010.

The four girls, aged 12 to 16 years, were chosen as targets by the criminals. The abuse continued through separate trials over several years. The bold action of the victims brought forth their tormentors and resulted in them being found guilty for manipulating and forcing themselves on the young girls through violence.

The crimes were investigated by West Yorkshire Police and tried in several cases at Bradford Crown Court. The first of the convictions in October 2021 was that of Shahzad Nowaz, 45, and Nadeem Nassir, 44, from Halifax, who were found guilty of rape and making threats to kill them. They received an imprisonment for 11 years each. There were other offenders too, like Sajid Adalat, 48 from Halifax, who received seven years for rape. Then Sohail Zaffer, 41, from Halifax, was another man who received 42 months after pleading for counts of rape and drugs.

The trials were carried over into 2022 and 2023 where several persons were convicted. For instance, 67-year old Malik Quadeer who was sentenced for 22 years due to raping more than one woman and also 48-year old Amir Shaban who is given 10 years. Most recently the last trial concluded in January of 2024 where Halifax man, Haroon Sadiq, who is 40 years of age gets convicted of rape while Shafiq Ali Rafiq, 44 years old Dewsbury gets convicted of the same offense and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Authorities have enhanced the genuineness of the investigation, praising the victims for their courage and who faced years of trauma before coming forward. Claire Smith of Calderdale District Police admitted that staying in such a place is risky to the survivor and also pointed out the fact that such crimes have an everlasting impact upon the life of the victim.

“We will keep getting perpetrators behind bars and continue to protect victims and survivors,” Smith said. “That’s what this case shows: it is never too late to report child sex abuse, and we are committed to supporting those who come forward.”