Two men convicted for sexually abusing five girls in Bury

Two men have been convicted of a series of sexual offences against five teenage girls more than 25 years ago.

The Crown Prosecution Service’s dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit prosecuted Imtiaz Ali, 53, and Manzorr Hussain, 54, following an investigation by Greater Manchester Police.

Today, at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, they have been found guilty of multiple sex offences committed between 1996 and 1999, when the victims were aged 13 to 16.

Hussain, of Bury, was convicted of seven counts of rape and seven counts of indecent assault.

Ali, of Radcliffe, was convicted of five counts of rape, five counts of indecent assault, one count of attempted indecent assault.

Claire Brinton, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said: "Manzorr Hussain and Imtiaz Ali exploited five vulnerable teenage girls, grooming them with alcohol and drugs before subjecting them to appalling sexual abuse.

“The defendants deliberately targeted children they knew they could exploit and treated them as objects to be passed around for their own and others’ sexual gratification. They showed a callous disregard for the girls’ welfare and used manipulation, force, threats and fear to control them and make them comply with their sick demands.

"These women have demonstrated remarkable bravery in coming forward, remaining engaged with the legal process, and reliving deeply traumatic experiences from over two decades ago. I would like to thank all of them; I hope these convictions can bring them some comfort.

"Our Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, in collaboration with Greater Manchester Police, was able to use extensive evidence to build a comprehensive picture of the offending to present to a jury who found the defendants guilty and delivered the justice these women deserved.”

Sergeant Daniel Whittaker, of Greater Manchester Police's Bury division, said: “This case represents a harrowing example of predatory behaviour by two men who deliberately targeted vulnerable children.

“The offenders were plying the victims with alcohol and drugs and taking them to numerous locations before sexually abusing and assaulting them.

“They exploited their positions of trust and manipulated the girls into believing they were in relationships, while in reality they were being used for sexual gratification.

“Hussain and Ali have faced long-awaited justice for their crimes after victims courageously gave testimony in court and continued to support our dedicated investigation.

“The bravery shown by the victims in coming forward and reliving their trauma has been instrumental in securing these convictions. We commend their courage and hope this outcome brings some measure of justice and closure.”

Building the case

Working in close collaboration with Greater Manchester Police, specialist prosecutors were able to build a compelling case against both Ali and Hussain.

The victims' evidence was central to the prosecution. After one victim came forward, police identified the four other victims who were approached separately and whose accounts all corroborated one another.

During the trial, the prosecution presented a meticulously constructed case that drew together multiple strands of evidence which supported the victim’s accounts. Despite the passage of time, the complainants were able to identify specific addresses and locations where the abuse occurred. This, combined with other evidence—including historical documents such as social care and school records—provided crucial details that helped establish timelines and link the defendants to particular locations and dates of offending.

The CPS also applied for special measures to ensure the victims had as much support as possible during the trial process and allow them to give their best evidence.

Despite the defendants' denials throughout, the strength of the evidence and the credibility of the victims’ testimonies resulted in the jury returning unanimous verdicts which found the defendants guilty of more than 20 counts.

To deal with the most complex and challenging child sexual abuse cases like this, the CPS has established a dedicated national Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit where Specialist Prosecutors use their expertise and experience to build strong cases and increase the number of successful prosecutions. 

The offending

Warning: distressing details

One victim was abused by Ali, another victim was abused by Hussain, and three of the victims were abused by both defendants.

Ali and Hussain, who are cousins, both ran market stalls at the time, which is how they first came into contact with some of the girls.

Both defendants were adult men who targeted the victims and took advantage of their personal situations, grooming them with attention, lifts, alcohol and drugs before assaulting them and sometimes using force to get them to do what they wanted.

The abuse occurred across multiple locations — primarily in Bury, but also throughout Greater Manchester and parts of Wales — including private homes, a hotel, vehicles, and a car dealership.

Some of this offending involved Hussain arranging for girls to be available for other men, including Ali, to sexually abuse them.

The court heard that Hussain took one girl to a flat, told her to go into a bedroom with nothing but a dirty mattress and was expected to perform sex acts with strangers who entered the room one by one.

One victim was taken to Ali’s home on a number of occasions and given drugs before Hussain and Ali took turns to rape her. On one occasion the same victim was barricaded in a car by the defendants when she was forced to perform sex acts on both of them in the presence of the other.

Ali’s address was the location most frequently used for the offending. It was heard that so-called ‘parties’ would be held where the young girls would be plied with drugs and alcohol and expected to provide sexual services to those there.

One victim described being threatened that if she did not comply with the defendants' demands, she would be taken to the moors, have her clothes removed and be abandoned there.