Man jailed for 28 years for non-recent sexual offences in Rochdale
Ajaz Ahmed from Rochdale has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for multiple non-recent sexual offences, including rape, sexual assault, and extreme pornography involving underage and vulnerable girls. The investigation, part of Operation Lytton, began when a victim came forward in 2016, leading to the identification of multiple victims who disclosed horrific abuse. Ahmed used his property and café to exploit and abuse the girls, often using coercion and threats. The case highlights the bravery of the survivors and the importance of reporting such crimes, regardless of how much time has passed. Support services for victims are also detailed.
Rochdale predator who raped five girls in Drake Street flat jailed for 28 years
Ajaz Ahmed, 55, used a town-centre property and a café he owned to trap under-age and homeless teenagers, subjecting them to years of rape, beatings and “sustained control”, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
The first survivor walked into a police station in January 2016 and told detectives she had been raped by several men at a party in a Rochdale flat when she was 13. A drive-round with specially-trained officers ended outside 75 Drake Street; land-registry checks showed Ahmed had owned the address since the night of the attack.
Four more women came forward as Operation Lytton widened. One said Ahmed, who called himself “AJ” and claimed to be 27, began raping her at 15 during a coercive relationship that lasted several years. Another, then 16, told investigators he sexually assaulted her the first night they met. A third woman, offered a room above the café in exchange for washing dishes, said Ahmed dragged her into the basement of the same property after a night of clubbing and raped her, warning she would be “back on the streets” if she resisted.
A fourth girl, 15, described being raped while Ahmed laughed with male guests, then hearing him ask: “Who wants to go next?” A fifth victim, picked up at 17, was driven to Drake Street and assaulted after refusing his demand that she “give the men something in return”.
Ahmed, of no fixed address, denied 22 charges but was convicted of ten counts of rape, seven of penetrative sexual activity with a child, two of assault by penetration, actual bodily harm, non-penetrative sexual activity with a child, making an indecent image of a child and possessing extreme pornography.
Detective Constable Ann Cooper Poole said: “It took one brave survivor to open the door to this investigation. These girls had their childhoods tainted in the most abhorrent way. They have shown extraordinary courage and ensured a dangerous offender can harm no-one else.”
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