Grooming gang who preyed on girls of 13 were in UK illegally
FOUR Kurds, who used drugs and alcohol to lure girls as young as 13 into sex, entered the UK illegally, it was revealed yesterday.
The Iraqi and Iranian nationals all applied for asylum, three were admitted to remain and a fourth was still battling to stay when their vile activities were exposed.
Yesterday the gang – who preyed on five white British girls aged 13 to 16 over a seven-year period – were jailed for a total of 32 years and nine months.
The gang trafficked their victims around houses on Tyneside where they were sexually assaulted and treated as ‘ commodities’. Palla Pour, Soran Azizi, Ribas Asad and Saman Obaid controlled the vulnerable teenagers using drugs and alcohol, and would contact them on Facebook to discuss sex parties.
A jury at Newcastle Crown Court heard how the young girls were held ‘in their thrall’ and supplied with ecstasy, cocaine, speed and cannabis. The offences began shortly after the men arrived in the country in 2007 and carried on until 2014.
Judge Robert Spragg quoted one of the victims who said: ‘They were much older and they pretended to be my friends and drove me around, but they were just totally using me for sex when I was just a child.’
The judge said: ‘These were vulnerable young women, they were easy targets for exploitation and the lure of drugs and alcohol.
‘ Once ensnared some were expected to provide sexual favours and services, not because they wanted to but because they were beholden and in thrall to you.
‘The effects on their lives has been devastating. It is clear to me the effects on these young women has been hugely damaging.’
On one occasion a victim aged 15 was asked for sex in return for one of the men paying for her tattoo, the court heard. The men lived in Newcastle-upon-Tyne but face deportation at the end of their sentences. Anne Richardson, prosecuting, told the court: ‘The defendants in this case are associated with one another to a greater or lesser extent. They are all asylum seekers, some have been successful in their applications.’ Pour, 25, was jailed for 12-and-ahalf years for four offences of sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, supplying controlled drugs and permitting premises to be used for the supply of drugs.
Azizi, 28, was jailed for six years after being convicted of two offences of trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Asad, 29, will serve nine-and-ahalf years for sexual assault, supplying a controlled drug, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual activity with a child.
And Obaid, 29, was jailed for four years, nine months. He was convicted of four offences of supplying controlled drugs.
The men had hidden behind code names such as Star, Pablo and Shark Tooth when targeting the under-age girls.
One victim said in a statement: ‘It has a massive impact on my life, I now suffer panic attacks, PTSD and depression. I don’t feel safe when I’m alone, even when I am at home on my own.’