An Asian grooming gang in Rochdale led by a market stallholder dubbed 'Boss Man' have been jailed for 174 years in total after two white schoolgirls were raped as they were used as 'sex slaves' from the age of 13.
Mohammed Zahid, 65, gave free underwear from his lingerie stall at Rochdale Indoor Market to both teenagers, along with money, alcohol and food, in return for the expectation of regular sex with him and his friends.
The father-of-three, now jailed for 35 years, was one of seven Asian men convicted in June by a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Court of committing various sexual offences against the girls between 2001 and 2006.
They were the first Asian grooming gang to be brought to justice since Labour faced accusations of a cover-up for resisting calls for a public inquiry into how a generation of girls were betrayed by police and social services.
Both girls were treated as 'sex slaves', said prosecutors, 'amid deeply troubled home lives' as they were given drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, places to stay and people to be with.
