Grooming gang sex beast found guilty of raping and abusing two young girls in Rotherham

A grooming gang sex beast has been found guilty of raping and abused two young girls in the child sex shame town of Rotherham. Obaidullah Omari treated his two child victims as "objects" to be abused after targeting the youngest when she was just 12-years-old. Sheffield Crown Court heard how after grooming the girls Omari, 46, sexually abused them when they were aged 13 and 14.

The offences, which occurred between 2003 and 2004, were investigated by officers from the National Crime Agency's Operation Stovewood, which is looking into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Omari, in his 20s at the time, plied the girls with alcohol and drugs before attacking them. The jury found that Omari raped the first girl multiple times at two different locations - his house in Eastwood, South Yorks, and in his car.

They also found him guilty of raping the second girl on one occasion.

He was found not guilty of one count of raping a child under 13, relating to the second victim

Both victims came forward to Operation Stovewood more than 20 years after the abuse took place, providing their accounts to officers who then went on to arrest Omari in 2019.

Following a two-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court, Omari was found guilty of three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault.

The jury heard how both girls were targeted because their vulnerability "made them attractive to those who wanted to exploit young, vulnerable girls."

Opening the case Matthew Bean, prosecuting, said: "These were, in each case, far from normal sexual encounters where consent is clear and obvious, where the parties are on equal terms, where consent is freely given without inducement, or pressure, or fear.

"For these defendants, the girls were objects to be used. There was no true consent."

The court was told both victims were the product of fractured or failing families and were being looked after in the care system, "without the immediate protection of their parents."

Mr Bean added: "What is more, their circumstances, the hand that they had each been dealt, perhaps meant that they would push against the rules, whether at home or in the care system.

"This, no doubt, made them attractive to those who wanted to exploit young, vulnerable girls.

"They were, it was perhaps thought, the sort of girls who might not complain. Indeed, they did not make any complaints at the time."

NCA senior investigating officer Alan Hastings said: "I pay tribute to the bravery of these two women - what they have been through is unimaginable, yet they were still able to tell us their stories and give evidence. Without that we would not have been able to get these convictions.

"Working with partners across Rotherham and South Yorkshire, Operation Stovewood continues to support victims and pursue perpetrators."

The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. To date 48 people - including Omari - have been convicted.

Omari will be sentenced on Thursday.