12 men jailed for sexually exploiting girl in UK

Twelve men who sexually exploited a vulnerable teenage girl in West Yorkshire have received jail sentences of up to 20 years.

Eleven were jailed at Bradford Crown Court after being convicted of raping the girl in Keighley from the age of 13.

Another man was sentenced for sexual activity with the same girl.

The trial heard how the teenager was repeatedly attacked over a period of 13 months, between 2011 and 2012.

She was made to have sex in various locations in the town, including an underground car park and a church graveyard.

The girl was described in court as leading a "chaotic existence" at the time and had been reported missing from home on more than 70 occasions over a two-year period.

'Heartless sexual advantage'

Two of the men also received sentences for offences against other victims.

Judge Roger Thomas QC, sentencing, told the men: "She was only 13 or 14 when the 12 of you took such terrible and heartless sexual advantage of her."

The jury previously heard her meetings with the men had been arranged by "drug dealer" Arif Choudhury, who was not on trial.

- Khalid Raja Mahmood, 34, of no fixed address, was given a 17-year extended sentence for rape and sexual activity with a child

- Tauqeer Hussain, 23, of Belgrave Road, Keighley, was jailed for 18 years for rape

- Yasser Kabir, 25, also of Belgrave Road, was jailed for 20 years for rape, sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity

- Sufyan Ziarab, 23, of Kendall Mellor Court, Keighley, was sentenced to 15 years for rape

- Bilal Ziarab, 21, of Sedgwick Close, Bradford, was jailed for 12 years for rape

- Israr Ali, 19, of Devonshire Street West, Keighley, was sentenced to three-and-half years in a young offenders' institution for rape

- Nasir Khan, 24, of Buxton Street, Keighley, was jailed for 13 years for rape

- Zain Ali, 20, also of Buxton Street, Keighley, was sentenced to eight years in a young offenders' institution for rape

- Faisal Khan, 27, also of Buxton Street, Keighley was jailed for 13 years for rape

- Saqib Younis, 29, of Bradford Street, Keighley, was also jailed for 13 years for rape

- Hussain Sardar, 19, also of Bradford Street, Keighley, was sentenced to six years in a young offenders' institution for rape

- Mohammed Akram, 63, of Holker Street, Keighley, was jailed for five years for sexual activity with a child

- Tauqeer Hussain was also found guilty of raping a second girl in 2009.

The court heard Mahmood, who pleaded guilty to several charges at an earlier hearing, is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence for raping a woman in a park in Keighley and trying to abduct a 10-year-old girl.

Kabir, who received the greatest jail term of 20 years, was also sentenced for 12 sexual offences against two other young girls after being found guilty at a separate trial.

Kris Hopkins, Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, said: "Keighley's proud name has been dragged through the mud too many times in recent years because of the heinous acts of sick men preying on vulnerable young girls.

"I appeal directly to members of the local community that if you know of any individual or groups of individuals who may be involved in these activities, you have an obligation to pass this information on.

"We must work together to rid ourselves of this cancer and we all have a part to play."