‘HORRIFIC ORDEAL’: Taxi driver who raped two teenage girls jailed for 33 years

Image credit: Greater Manchester Police (GMP)

Taxi driver Mohammed Saleem was today jailed for 33 years after being found guilty of a string of sexual and domestic abuse offences on girls aged as young as 14-years-old.

The charges relate to the non-recent exploitation, rape, indecent assault and domestic abuse of two teenage girls in Rochdale, which continued for 17 years for one of the victims.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard how Saleem, 42, groomed the two teenage girls in the late 1990's and would regularly ply them with alcohol and cannabis before this progressed to having sex with both of them.

Over the next 17 years Saleem, who was married and had children at the time, then repeatedly abused one of the girls both sexually, physically and mentally, in an attempt to control every aspect of her life.

Across the years her mental health deteriorated significantly and she did manage to escape Saleem's grips and live independently but he would always manage to get back into her life and monitor and control her.

In November 2017 officers executed a warrant at Saleem's address and uncovered a number of indecent images and videos of children, including images of the victim that he had taken. It was also revealed that Saleem had installed spying software on the victims computer without her knowledge in order to monitor her internet activity, personal data and emails.

Following a six week trial Saleem was found guilty of 31 offences including:

• Six counts of indecent assault against a 14-year-old female

• Rape of a 14-year-old female

• Three counts of rape of a 14/15-year-old female

• Indecent assault against a 15-year-old female

• Assault occasioning actual bodily harm

• Nine counts of rape of a female

• Assault by penetration

• Three counts of rape of a female under 16 years

• Two counts of voyeurism

• Sexual assault

• Securing unauthorised access to computer material

• Two counts of making indecent images of a child.

Detective Constable Sarah Hayfield of GMP's Rochdale district, said: "The victims in this case were abused in the worst ways possible. This man preyed on their vulnerabilities as young girls and exploited them for his own sickening pleasure. He then went onto control and abuse one of the victims for 17 years.

"This was a horrific ordeal that has no doubt left a damaging and haunting impact on those lives affected. I want to extend my thanks and gratitude to these two brave women and their families for their support and strength throughout this investigation. Their resilience has been instrumental in ensuring we could secure this custodial sentence and, although I have no doubt this will stay with them for the rest of their lives, I hope today will help bring some form of closure.

"I also extend my thanks to our partners at Rochdale Borough Council, particularly their adult care recovery and re-enablement team, who have both supported the investigation and been instrumental in providing the victims with the care and support they need whilst we investigated Saleem.

"I hope this sentencing sends a clear message that child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse is abhorrent and will never be acceptable and through our joint working with the council on child sexual abuse we will ensure anyone who engages in this type of vile behaviour will be brought to justice, as we have seen today."