Rotherham grooming gang sentenced to combined 103 years in prison for rape and sex abuse of girls

Arshid Hussain, two of his brothers, their uncle and two female accomplices were jailed on Friday

Brothers Arshid Hussain, 40, Basharat Hussain, 39, and Bannaras Hussain, 36, and (left to right bottom) Karen MacGregor, 58, (left), Shelley Davies, 40, and Qurban Ali, 53, were sentenced to a combined 103 years in prison (South Yorkshire Police/PA)

A gang who groomed, raped, prostituted and abused teenage girls in Rotherham have been handed combined prison sentences of more than 100 years.

The ringleader, Arshid Hussain, was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court alongside three other men and two women for their role in a ring of offenders in the Yorkshire town.

Arshid was imprisoned for 35 years, while his brothers Basharat Hussain, 39, and Bannaras Hussain, 36, were handed 25 years and 19 years respectively.

Their uncle Qurban Ali, 53, was jailed for 10 years. Karen MacGregor, a 58-year-old accomplice, was given 13 years while Shelley Davis, 40, will serve an 18-month suspended sentence.

Karen MacGregor, 58, (left) and Shelley Davies, 40, who have been found guilty of conspiracy to procure prostitutes and false imprisonment (PA)

Pakistani-born members of the gang could face action to strip them of their UK citizenship, The Independent has revealed.

Legal proceedings seeking their potential deportation to Pakistan were expected to follow the hearing as the Home Secretary increases the use of legal powers usually implemented in terror cases.

As Judge Sarah Wright handed down their sentences on Friday, she paid tribute to the “immense courage” of the women who came forward.

“The harm you have caused is of unimaginable proportions,” she told the defendants.

Many of the victims sat in the public gallery overlooking the packed courtroom for the sentencing.

Twelve women - most now in their 30s - had told the jury they were sexually, physically and emotionally abused in the Rotherham when they were in their early teens.

Five members of the gang sat in the dock for the hearing but Arshid appeared by video-link from Doncaster Prison.

The court heard that the Hussain brothers “ruled Rotherham” with their drugs and guns operation and abused the girls with impunity.

Arshid, 40, had been planning fertility treatment with his wife as he raped girls and lured them into prostitution.

His defence team failed to convince the judge that he was unfit to stand trial due to alleged disability stemming from a gunshot wound he sustained in 2005.

The jury was told that Arshid fathered children with his victims and forced some girls to have abortions.

He, Basharat, Ali, MacGregor and Davis were found guilty earlier this week after a long trial but, as Bannaras had pleaded guilty, the case against him was opened by Michelle Colborne QC.

Children walk along a street in the Eastwood area of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, (AFP)

Speaking for the prosecution, she told the court that Bannaras abused one victim in a car park next to Rotherham Police Station.

"(The girl) performed oral sex on Bannaras Hussain,” Ms Colborne said.

"When, shortly afterwards, a police car pulled up alongside them and asked what was going on, Bannaras Hussain shouted 'she's just sucking my cock, mate'.The police car drove off."

Ms Colborne said the sister of one victim described her sister as a "broken human being" and another girl described the Hussain brothers like "a pack of animals", claiming they urinated on her.

The lawyer listed eating disorders, self-harm, agoraphobia, self-loathing and abortions as among the lasting impact of the abuse, which left them feeling “dirty, ashamed and guilty”.

Many of the victims have had relationship problems throughout their lives and have found themselves subjected to domestic violence, she said.

The offenders

• Arshid Hussain, 40, High Street, East Cowick, Goole: Convicted of 23 of the 28 charges he faced, including indecent assault and rape.
• Basharat Hussain, 39, of no fixed abode: Convicted of all 15 charges he faced, including two counts of rape.
• Bannaras Hussain, 36, of Bridge Close, Goole: Pleaded guilty before trial to 10 charges including rape, indecent assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
• Qurban Ali, 53, Clough Road, Rotherham: Convicted of conspiracy to rape, but cleared of three other charges including rape.
• Karen MacGregor, 58, Barnsley Road, Wath, South Yorkshire: Convicted of two counts of conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to procure prostitutes and false imprisonment.
• Shelley Davies, 40, Wainwright Road, Kimberworth Park, Rotherham: Convicted of conspiracy to procure prostitutes and false imprisonment.

Additional reporting by PA