Two men jailed for 58 years for sexually abusing five girls in Bury

Two men have been jailed today (Monday 8th December 2025) for committing 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.

Following a trial 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. He was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.

Ali, of Radcliffe, was convicted of five counts of rape, five counts of indecent assault, one count of attempted indecent assault. He was sentenced to 28 years imprisonment.

Claire Brinton, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "These sentences reflect the severity of the appalling crimes committed by Manzorr Hussain and Imtiaz Ali, who deliberately targeted, groomed and systematically abused five vulnerable children, treating them as objects for their own sexual gratification.

"The defendants showed no remorse for their actions, which have had a lasting and profound impact on the victims' lives. These women have carried the trauma of this abuse for more than two decades. I would like to thank them again for coming forward, speaking so bravely about what happened to them, and seeing this case through to its conclusion.

"I hope these sentences provide some sense of justice and closure for the victims and demonstrate that no matter how much time has passed, those who commit such heinous crimes against children will be held accountable."

James Bolton-Smith, Head of the CPS’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said:  "Every victim of child sexual abuse deserves justice and support. At the Crown Prosecution Service, we are determined to deliver both – regardless of who you are, where you're from, or when you report what happened to you.

“Our dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit brings together specialist prosecutors with expert training to tackle group-based child sexual abuse. These are often complex cases involving multiple perpetrators who work together to exploit vulnerable children through grooming, manipulation and abuse.

“We are committed to holding every perpetrator accountable through robust prosecutions and meticulously building strong cases that stand up in court. We understand the courage it takes for victims to come forward, which is why we work closely with police and support services to ensure they receive the care they need throughout the criminal justice process.”
 

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.

Chief Inspector Ian Partington, Senior Investigating Officer for Greater Manchester Police, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the victims in this case for reporting their abuse to us. Their brave testimony led us to the identification of further survivors, who were subsequently interviewed and supported throughout the judicial process.

“Manzorr Hussain and Imtiaz Ali are sexual predators who deliberately targeted vulnerable young girls. They thought they had got away with their offending, but the first survivor who came forward opened up the whole case allowed us to launch a thorough investigation, and today we’ve got them long-awaited justice.

“Working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, officers and prosecutors were able to build a compelling case against both Hussain and Ali.

“Our Bury Complex Safeguarding team is one of 10 dedicated teams working tirelessly across Greater Manchester to keep children and young people safe and bring offenders to justice. This is alongside our specialist unit investigating non-recent child sexual exploitation, which has been nationally highlighted this year as positive practice.

“Time is no barrier when it comes to being sexually abused – no matter how long ago it was, or how old you were at the time, we will listen to you. We will support you, investigate, and act robustly against perpetrators. We will take your allegations seriously and treat you with dignity and respect.”
 

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.