Agencies/London
Two members of a sadistic paedophile ring who groomed vulnerable underage girls for sexual exploitation have each been given life sentences at the Old Bailey.
Judge Peter Rook told brothers Akhtar Dogar, 32, and Anjum Dogar, 31, they had been found guilty of “exceptionally grave crimes” as he jailed them for a minimum of 17 years.
The seven defendants, including a second set of brothers, were found guilty of a catalogue of offences against the vulnerable underage girls, including rape, trafficking and organising prostitution, last month.
The five-month trial heard the gang sexually exploited girls as young as 11.
Co-defendant Kamar Jamil, 27, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years. The judge told him: “I accept that you were a follower rather than a leader, the leadership role was played by the Dogar brothers.”
But he said Jamil had joined in the group rape of one of the victims and accepted that he was a risk to girls aged 11 to 16. The judge said the gang had targeted vulnerable girls, and said on occasions “the depravity was extreme”.
He said: “You targeted the young girls because they were vulnerable, underage and out of control.” He said each of the six victims had shown “enormous courage” in giving evidence during the trial. He said they had come “knowing that they would be accused of lying, knowing they would have to relive their ordeals, knowing that they have not been believed in the past”.
Mohamed Karrar, 38, was given life with a minimum of 20 years for the “dreadful offences” he committed against the girls. The judge said he treated one of his victims as his “commodity”.
He told Karrar, who was found guilty of 18 offences, including rape of a child under 13 and procuring an abortion, conspiracy to rape, child prostitution and trafficking: “You do and will continue to represent a high risk to young girls.” His brother, Bassam Karrar, 34, was also handed a life sentence.
