The Transcripts

This Rotherham grooming gang case involved three men - Sajid Ali (16), Zaheer Iqbal (17), and Riaz Makhmood (17) - who systematically sexually abused a vulnerable 13-year-old girl over nearly a year through a carefully orchestrated grooming process. Sajid Ali initially targeted the victim, exploiting her low self-esteem and desire to be liked, before all three men provided her with alcohol and tobacco to lower her inhibitions and establish control. The abuse involved repeated sexual exploitation, with Zaheer Iqbal being particularly psychologically cruel, calling her degrading names and criticizing her performance while manipulating her to keep returning, and the men treating her as an object to pass among themselves. The control was so complete that the victim didn't come forward for nine years until 2014, only speaking out after seeing television coverage of Rotherham abuse made her realize she wasn't alone. Her victim impact statement revealed she lost her teenage years, became distant from her parents, and continued to struggle with depression, low self-esteem, and wrongly blaming herself for the abuse.