Derby sex gang

The Derby child sex abuse ring was a group of men who sexually abused up to a hundred girls in Derby, England. In 2010, after an undercover investigation by Derbyshire police, members of the ring were charged with 75 offences relating to 26 girls. Nine of the 13 accused were convicted of grooming and raping girls between 12 and 18 years old. The attacks provoked fierce discussion about race and sexual exploitation.

The thirteen men lived throughout Derby and the police believed they met through a shared attraction for young girls. The leaders were Abid Mohammed Saddique and Mohammed Romaan Liaqat, both married men with young children. They were considered devout Muslims and family-orientated men, but away from their homes, they would cruise around the streets of Derby targeting young girls. CCTV footage showed the gang leaders making repeated efforts to entice a pair of girls standing by the side of the road into their car. The police later discovered vodka and plastic cups under the car seats. Saddique was accused of having sexual activity with a 12-year-old in Darley Park, and Liaqat had sex with a 14-year-old in their vehicle. After legal proceedings were launched against them, Saddique and Liaqat grew long beards and adopted Islamic dress.

The victims, aged between 12–18, were predominantly vulnerable girls from troubled backgrounds, and some of them were in care and known to social services. The men would target girls at railway stations, on estates, and walking home from school. The gang would first befriend the girls, inviting them out for a drive or a drink and supplied them with alcohol and drugs. The grooming process was then intensified and the girls were invited to parties and further meetings were arranged. The girls were then driven to secluded areas and were sexually abused and raped. The abuse took place in houses and hotels across the Midlands, parks and even the victims' own homes. Two victims were threatened with hammers while another was locked up before being raped. Sometimes, up to six men would be involved in the often violent assaults which the gang would film on their mobile phones. Three gang members were filmed having sex with a 14-year-old girl in a hotel room to the sound of noisy cheering. Some of the girls were locked up to prevent them escaping. A 16-year-old victim stated: "I will never ever understand what has made them so evil and ignorant that still to this day they think they've not done anything wrong."

Derby police were aware of rumours of a paedophile gang operating in the city. On 30 December 2008, Staffordshire police stopped a car on suspicion of shoplifting, carrying three gang members and three young girls. The girls had been reported missing from a care home in Derby. The police drove the girls back to Derby, and during the journey, they told the officers about what had been taking place. Derbyshire police force launched an undercover investigation called Operation Retriever, setting up surveillance and tailing the gang's BMW around Derby. Detectives collected DNA samples from several of the crime scenes. Siddique was wearing an electronic tag after a previous conviction for assaulting a woman.

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