By MARTIN ROBINSON
FOR MAILONLINE
The men targeted vulnerable children in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire for sex secured with 'the price of a McDonald's, a milkshake and a cinema ticket', the Old Bailey heard.
Today Vikram Singh, Asif Hussain, Arshad Jani, Mohammed Imran, Akbari Khan and Taimoor Khan were jailed for between three years and 19-and-a-half years.
The men, of Indian and Pakistani descent, may have targeted white girls because 'if they pursued Asian girls they would have paid a heavy price in their community,' judge John Bevan said.
The abuse between from 2006 and 2012 included multiple rapes of a child under 13, child prostitution and administering a substance to 'stupefy' a girl in order to engage in sexual activity.
Aylesbury is about 50 kms northwest of central London.
Most of the offences related to child A, who was present in court to see the men who robbed her of her teenage years jailed.
In a statement, she told of her feelings of 'worthlessness' as she battled depression and alcohol addiction, adding: 'I feel my teenage years were taken away from me.'
Sentencing, judge John Bevan QC paid tribute to her bravery in laying bare her life 'warts and all' and said the way some of the defendants took advantage of her vulnerability was 'grotesque'.
He said: 'She sought friendship amongst Asian males in their 20s and for the price of a McDonald's, a milkshake and cinema ticket, she became 'liked' by stall holders in Aylesbury market, taxi and bus drivers.
'By the age of 13 she was sexually experienced, confusing sexual gratification for friendship and love.'
By the time she was 16, the girl had been abused by just under 70 men and her vulnerability should have been 'blindingly obvious', the judge said.
He went on: 'Why these defendants focused their attention on white under-age girls is unexplained but I have no doubt vulnerability played a substantial part in it.
'The combination of inadequate parenting leading to rebellious children lacking supervision provided an opportunity.
'If they pursued Asian under-age girls, they would have paid a heavy price in their community.'
The two victims came from troubled backgrounds and wanted to feel grown-up when they were befriended by the men, who groomed them by showering them with inexpensive gifts such as alcohol, DVDs, food and occasionally drugs.
While aged just 12 or 13, child A was passed between some 60 mainly Asian men for sex after being conditioned into thinking it was normal behaviour, jurors were told.
The vast majority of the charges related to this child, while three charges related to girl B.
During the trial, prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC told the jury the youngsters were 'easy prey for a group of men wanting casual sexual gratification that was easy, regular and readily available'.
He said the girls' ideas of what was right had been 'completely distorted', and that they thought what was happening was 'normal' and 'natural'.
Many of the defendants were friends from the Aylesbury area. Some were married and had children, with some working on the market and a few working as taxi drivers.
Singh, 45, of Aylesbury, who has a wife and children, was told by Judge Bevan he bore a 'heavy responsibility' for the 'degradation' of Child A. He was jailed for a total of 17 and a half years for four counts of rape and administering a substance with intent.
Hussain, 33, of Milton Keynes, who was convicted of three counts of rape was sentenced to 13 and a half years.
Jani, 33, of Aylesbury, received 13 years for rape and conspiracy to rape. The court heard the bus driver had supported a wife and 17-month-old daughter in Pakistan.
Imran, 38, of Bradford, was convicted of three counts of rape, one count of conspiracy to rape and one count of child prostitution. The Pakistani national was jailed for 19-and-a-half years and faces the prospect of deportation afterwards.
He was the only defendant to express remorse for his actions today, saying through his lawyer he felt 'guilt and shame' for what he had done.
Akbari Khan, 36, of Aylesbury, who was found guilty of two counts of rape, administering a substance with intent, and conspiracy to rape, was jailed for 16 years. He too has a wife and young daughter.
Taimoor Khan, 29, of Aylesbury, was sentenced to three years in prison for one count of sexual activity with a child.
Harmohan Nangpal, 41, Faisal Iqbal, 32, Sajad Ali, 35, and Sohail Qamar, 41, were acquitted on all of the charges they faced during the trial.
One of the kingpins of the Aylesbury abuse gang targeted a 12-year-old as she browsed toys.
Asian abusers were provided with interpreters throughout the trial at a cost of £50,000 to the taxpayer
One of Britain's top criminal judges suggested the right to an interpreter should be 'means-tested' after six Asian men were sentenced for abusing vulnerable white girls.
Judge John Bevan, QC, sitting at the Old Bailey raised concerns that the men, some of whom had lived in Britain for many years, genuinely needed the help of interpreters to understand court proceedings.
Paying for interpreters currently costs UK taxpayers millions, with fees soaring in recent years.
Providing the men with interpreters throughout the trial and for the sentencing hearing may have cost the taxpayer up to £50,000, he told the court.
Judge Bevan said: 'I have submitted a report elsewhere as to the necessity to independently test the means of using interpreters and whether a defendant who has lived here for many years requires or is entitled to an interpreter.'
He made the comments after six men of Pakistani and Indian origin were jailed for over 82 years after an eight-week sex abuse trial.
Four other Asian men were acquitted of similar charges. Throughout the trial interpreters were provided almost all the defendants.
'The use of interpreters by eight of the defendants had cost a minimum of £25,000, quite possibly double that,' the judge said.
One of the men in the trial granted an interpreter had lived in the UK since 1999.
The judge said the defendants were not to blame for 'taking advantage' of the services on offer, but questioned whether interpreters were required, given some of the men's backgrounds.
Figures released by the Ministry of Justice showed the interpreter bill last year was £17.2m, up from £12m in 2012/2013.
The services, provided by outsourcing firm Capita, come part of a £300m contract for face-to-face interpreting in court, translating legal documents and telephone interpretation.
FOR MAILONLINE
Six members of an Asian child sex gang were today jailed for a total of 82 years for grooming and raping white girls during a six year campaign of 'grotesque' abuse.
The men targeted vulnerable children in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire for sex secured with 'the price of a McDonald's, a milkshake and a cinema ticket', the Old Bailey heard.
Today Vikram Singh, Asif Hussain, Arshad Jani, Mohammed Imran, Akbari Khan and Taimoor Khan were jailed for between three years and 19-and-a-half years.
The men, of Indian and Pakistani descent, may have targeted white girls because 'if they pursued Asian girls they would have paid a heavy price in their community,' judge John Bevan said.
 |
| Top row: Vikram Singh, Asif Hussain and Arshad Jani (left to right) Bottom row: Mohammed Imran, Akbari Khan and Taimoor Khan (left to right) |
Aylesbury is about 50 kms northwest of central London.
VICTIM SUING COUNCIL AFTER SOCIAL WORKERS FAILED TO PROTECT HER AND FRIENDS
After the sex gang was jailed today it emerged that one victim, known only as child B, is suing Buckinghamshire County Council for negligence resulting in the unnecessary suffering of the victims.
In a statement the woman, who had been in care, said that 'no sentence could ever put right what happened'.
But she said: 'It's an opportunity for all of us to say to the Government and to social services, whose job it is to protect vulnerable people, that it is time to sit down and listen to our experiences, and I mean actually listen and reflect on what is happening in this country.
'This would go a long way in helping them to be able to understand the problems that exist, to enable them to prevent things like this from happening to others in the future.'
Her solicitor Alan Collins added: 'It is without doubt that if social services had done more to protect the victims and spotted the crucial signs that something was wrong, we wouldn't be here today.
'However, the sentencing of these individuals does not make up for the failings. As a consequence, we will now be taking legal action against Buckinghamshire County Council for their negligence in this case which resulted in the unnecessary suffering of these victims.'
Javed Khan, chief executive of the charity Barnardo's which has supported the victims, said: 'These sentences send out an important message: abusers will pay for their actions. Their crimes have had a devastating impact on their victims.
'We will continue to work with Thames Valley Police, Buckinghamshire County Council and our other partners to stamp out this terrible crime, by raising awareness of the signs a child or young person is being sexually exploited, and supporting victims.'
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| Aylesbury market |
In a statement, she told of her feelings of 'worthlessness' as she battled depression and alcohol addiction, adding: 'I feel my teenage years were taken away from me.'
Sentencing, judge John Bevan QC paid tribute to her bravery in laying bare her life 'warts and all' and said the way some of the defendants took advantage of her vulnerability was 'grotesque'.
He said: 'She sought friendship amongst Asian males in their 20s and for the price of a McDonald's, a milkshake and cinema ticket, she became 'liked' by stall holders in Aylesbury market, taxi and bus drivers.
'By the age of 13 she was sexually experienced, confusing sexual gratification for friendship and love.'
By the time she was 16, the girl had been abused by just under 70 men and her vulnerability should have been 'blindingly obvious', the judge said.
He went on: 'Why these defendants focused their attention on white under-age girls is unexplained but I have no doubt vulnerability played a substantial part in it.
'The combination of inadequate parenting leading to rebellious children lacking supervision provided an opportunity.
'If they pursued Asian under-age girls, they would have paid a heavy price in their community.'
The two victims came from troubled backgrounds and wanted to feel grown-up when they were befriended by the men, who groomed them by showering them with inexpensive gifts such as alcohol, DVDs, food and occasionally drugs.
While aged just 12 or 13, child A was passed between some 60 mainly Asian men for sex after being conditioned into thinking it was normal behaviour, jurors were told.
The vast majority of the charges related to this child, while three charges related to girl B.
During the trial, prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC told the jury the youngsters were 'easy prey for a group of men wanting casual sexual gratification that was easy, regular and readily available'.
He said the girls' ideas of what was right had been 'completely distorted', and that they thought what was happening was 'normal' and 'natural'.
Many of the defendants were friends from the Aylesbury area. Some were married and had children, with some working on the market and a few working as taxi drivers.
 |
| The gang targeted children in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, pictured, and groomed them with fast food and other gifts |
Hussain, 33, of Milton Keynes, who was convicted of three counts of rape was sentenced to 13 and a half years.
The combination of inadequate parenting leading to rebellious children lacking
supervision provided an opportunity. If they pursued Asian under-age girls,
they would have paid a heavy price in their community
Judge John Bevan on why the gang may have targeted white girls
Jani, 33, of Aylesbury, received 13 years for rape and conspiracy to rape. The court heard the bus driver had supported a wife and 17-month-old daughter in Pakistan.
Imran, 38, of Bradford, was convicted of three counts of rape, one count of conspiracy to rape and one count of child prostitution. The Pakistani national was jailed for 19-and-a-half years and faces the prospect of deportation afterwards.
He was the only defendant to express remorse for his actions today, saying through his lawyer he felt 'guilt and shame' for what he had done.
Akbari Khan, 36, of Aylesbury, who was found guilty of two counts of rape, administering a substance with intent, and conspiracy to rape, was jailed for 16 years. He too has a wife and young daughter.
Taimoor Khan, 29, of Aylesbury, was sentenced to three years in prison for one count of sexual activity with a child.
Harmohan Nangpal, 41, Faisal Iqbal, 32, Sajad Ali, 35, and Sohail Qamar, 41, were acquitted on all of the charges they faced during the trial.
ABUSE GANG RINGLEADER TARGETED VULNERABLE CHILD AS SHE BROWSED
THE TOYS IN WOOLWORTHS AHEAD OF HER 13TH BIRTHDAY
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| Vikram Singh, known as ‘Bicky’, approached one victim as she looked at Batman figures in Woolworths in Aylesbury, pictured, in 2006 just before her 13th birthday |
Indian-born Vikram Singh, known as 'Bicky', approached the girl as she looked at Batman figures in Woolworths in Aylesbury in 2006, just before her 13th birthday.
The former carer then groomed the child with gifts of food, drink and DVDs before attacking her at the cinema, where he had taken her to watch one of the Santa Claus films.
The married father-of-two later asked her for sex in her bedroom whilst her mother was at work, but needed Viagra 'because of his age'.
Singh then forced her to perform a sex act on him before raping her.
The pair would continue to meet up to three times a week for sex, sometimes in the back of his car at the back of a nursing home.
She then started to receive phone calls from unknown Asian men who would ask her for sex or ask her how old she was or whether she was a virgin.
When she told one caller her young age, he replied: 'I like that age.'
The prosecutor said the girl kept going back to Singh, but later told police: 'It felt like a disgusting job I had to do for him'.
The last time they had sex was in 2008, but by then she had become involved with Mohammed Imran, who was farming her out to other men for sex.
'I thought of him as the person who sold me and passed me around,' said the girl of Pakistan-born Imran.
She told police he would demand sex up to ten times a day, ply her with alcohol and drugs and farm her out to his friends.
'Some were taxi drivers, some were bus drivers, some were drug dealers, some weren't even from Aylesbury,' she said in interviews.
'He used to bring them from anywhere. They used to pay him. He didn't care. The most I had sex with in one day was five or six. I felt like I was on fire.'
The girl said she slept with between 15 and 20 of Imran's 'mates', who would pay around £25 for sex.
The victims thought they were in 'relationships' with their abusers and spoke of the men as being their 'boyfriends', the court heard.
Asian abusers were provided with interpreters throughout the trial at a cost of £50,000 to the taxpayer
 |
| Judge John Bevan, QC |
Judge John Bevan, QC, sitting at the Old Bailey raised concerns that the men, some of whom had lived in Britain for many years, genuinely needed the help of interpreters to understand court proceedings.
Paying for interpreters currently costs UK taxpayers millions, with fees soaring in recent years.
Providing the men with interpreters throughout the trial and for the sentencing hearing may have cost the taxpayer up to £50,000, he told the court.
Judge Bevan said: 'I have submitted a report elsewhere as to the necessity to independently test the means of using interpreters and whether a defendant who has lived here for many years requires or is entitled to an interpreter.'
He made the comments after six men of Pakistani and Indian origin were jailed for over 82 years after an eight-week sex abuse trial.
Four other Asian men were acquitted of similar charges. Throughout the trial interpreters were provided almost all the defendants.
'The use of interpreters by eight of the defendants had cost a minimum of £25,000, quite possibly double that,' the judge said.
One of the men in the trial granted an interpreter had lived in the UK since 1999.
The judge said the defendants were not to blame for 'taking advantage' of the services on offer, but questioned whether interpreters were required, given some of the men's backgrounds.
Figures released by the Ministry of Justice showed the interpreter bill last year was £17.2m, up from £12m in 2012/2013.
The services, provided by outsourcing firm Capita, come part of a £300m contract for face-to-face interpreting in court, translating legal documents and telephone interpretation.
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