Rotherham grooming gang who raped girl aged 14 fled Britain after being given bail

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is appealing to the public for information as two Rotherham grooming gang members remain on the run after being convicted of raping a schoolgirl.

Mudasar Hussain, 37, of Rotherham was found guilty in his absence of 12 counts of raping the girl, who was around 14 years old at the time.

Kamir Khan, 37, of Rotherham was also found guilty in his absence of two counts of rape and one count of trafficking for sexual exploitation, after he arranged for another man to have sex with the girl.

Mudasar’s brother Ghazanfar Hussain, 42, of Rotherham – also convicted of raping the girl – has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.

Officers working to locate Hussain and Khan have pursued numerous lines of enquiry and are now appealing to the public for any information that could assist their investigation.

Mudasar was on conditional bail while awaiting trial and had surrendered his passport to the NCA as one of those conditions.

While authorities believe he may still be in Britain, there are growing fears the convicted paedophile may have fled the country illegally.

Khan, meanwhile, was handed unconditional court bail ahead of his trial, and is known to have left the country after flying to Qatar on September 22.

It is believed he travelled on to Pakistan shortly after arriving in the Gulf state.

Philip Marshall, head of Operation Stovewood, said: “The victim has shown tremendous courage in reporting the predatory grooming, exploitation and sustained sexual abuse these men subjected her to as a child.

“Reliving sexual abuse can be distressing, however the victim’s account, supported by our corroborating evidence, has led to her three abusers being convicted.

“I would like to recognise the continued bravery of the victim, who has already endured so much and who continues to be supported by specially trained officers.

"Our focus remains on securing justice for the victim and ensuring that Khan and Hussain are held fully accountable for their actions.”

The three men were convicted after Operation Stovewood investigators contacted the victim, now an adult in her 30s, after identifying she may have been abused as a child.

She confirmed to officers she had been groomed and sexually abused by Mudasar - who she knew as "Muddy" - Ghazanfar, and Khan between 2008 and 2010.

More to follow...