INDIAN-ORIGIN RINGLEADER AMONG 16 UK MEN JAILED FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING GIRLS

LONDON: An Indian-origin ringleader is among 16 men jailed for a combined period of over 200 years for being part of a grooming gang which sexually abused vulnerable young girls in the West Yorkshire region of England.

Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years behind bars, with other members of the gang jailed for between five and 18 years in jail at Leeds Crown Court.

The court had been hearing the cases since the beginning of January and were told of the men's years of repeated serious sexual abuse of the girls, supplying them with drugs and alcohol and trafficking them across the West Yorkshire region for their sexual gratification.

The third trial in the case concluded on October 8, with reporting restrictions imposed on the entire case by the judge

lifted only on Friday. "The investigation into this case has been extremely complex and the investigative team have worked tire

lessly for the past five years to ensure that no stone has been left unturned.

“We welcome the convictions and sentences which have been passed down throughout the year to these depraved individuals, who subjected vulnerable young children to unthinkable sexual and physical abuse," said Detective Chief Inspector Ian Mottershaw, from West Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation.

"I hope the outcomes of these trials will enable the victims to start the process of putting this trauma behind them and reassure any other potential victims that we will treat them with the utmost respect and sensitivity and take positive action against perpetrators," he said.

Jailing the men, who are all of South Asian origin including Pakistani-origin men, Judge Geoffrey Marson said: "The way you treated these girls defies understanding; this abuse was vile and wicked. As cases of sexual abuse with which the courts have to deal, this case comes top of the scale".