A gang of four men and one woman have been jailed for a total of 81 years after they were convicted of sexually exploiting three teenage girls in Rhyl, North Wales
A gang comprising four men and one woman who sexually exploited three teenage girls has been handed a combined sentence totalling 81 years in prison. The judge remarked that they viewed their victims as “easy prey”.
The victims were just 14, 15, and 16 years old when the gang targeted them, grooming them with drugs and alcohol before taking advantage of them. Ringleader Mustafa Iqbal has been jailed for 35 years following his conviction on 21 offences, including four counts of rape.
The judge described him as having an “apparently uncontrollable” and “voracious” sexual appetite. One accomplice, Sarah Gray, “sold her soul” to him in return for cocaine, permitting him to rape one of the victims at her residence. The other gang members were Mohamed Arshad, Jaswinder Singh and Ziaullah Badshah.
The four men caused severe psychological harm to the three victims. Following a trial, they were found guilty last month of offences connected to the exploitation and abuse of three teenage girls in Rhyl and surrounding areas between April 2022 and March 2024, reports Wales Online.
During the four-month trial at Caernarfon Crown Court, jurors heard how they supplied the children with alcohol and drugs before raping and assaulting them. Owen Edwards KC, prosecuting, explained that Iqbal had encountered two girls wandering Rhyl’s streets while under the influence of cannabis in March 2022.
He took them to his home and informed his two accomplices, Arshad and Badshah. While the girls initially said they were 17 and 16, one subsequently disclosed their actual ages as 15 and 14.
During a game of spin the bottle involving kissing, the girls were given cannabis. The abuse escalated rapidly. Additional contact occurred and an investigation was initiated by police in 2022, though no charges were brought against the defendants at that stage.
Following the sentencing of Iqbal and his co-accused, Judge Simon Mills stated he intended no criticism of North Wales Police, but suggested there ought to be “reflection”.
He said: “There should be some reflection – hindsight is a wonderful thing – on the failure to take action. There should be some consideration as to whether any more could have been done to protect these children. I’m not being critical because hindsight is a wonderful thing and there was more evidence that came to light subsequently.”
In November 2023, Iqbal met another girl who was 16. Iqbal “made his sexual interest in her obvious” and she called him a “nonce”.
However, within days she had become involved in a relationship where she traded sex for cocaine. Mr Edwards said: “She was in effect a sex slave.”
An adult who knew her contacted the authorities. Iqbal was arrested on 17 January 2024, with officers finding he had a sex toy and a weapon – a noxious gas canister, the court was told.
In February 2024, Iqbal was issued with a warning to end all communication with the 16-year-old girl. Undeterred, he changed his mobile phone, car and address, moving his later sexual liaisons with her to either Sarah Gray’s residence in Gronant or his own dwelling.
During one incident, Iqbal shackled the girl with handcuffs and raped her “forcefully”, the court heard from Mr Edwards. Afterwards, Sarah Gray washed the bed linen to eliminate forensic evidence.
Nevertheless, the girl contacted police and handed over underwear containing DNA which she had kept following Iqbal’s last rape of her. Officers arrested all the defendants on 7 August 2025 and uncovered that Iqbal had been communicating with another girl, aged 17.
Louisa Robertson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Iqbal, Arshad and Badshah sexually exploited these children using alcohol and drugs to coerce them.
“Singh and Gray were complicit in the exploitation of vulnerable girls. The victims of these shocking crimes showed great courage in speaking out against their abusers, and it is through their strength that we have brought all the offenders charged to justice.”
Iqbal and his accomplice Arshad, who wasn’t engaged in drug dealing, “revelled in the ease with which they could exploit” the first 15 year old girl.
One co-accused grumbled that Ziaullah Badshah was “getting more than his fair share of sexual activity (with her)”, Mr Edwards disclosed. Tim Naylor, representing Iqbal, told the court: “He is someone who wants to impress others. He wants to be liked – traits which have led him into poor decision making.”
The trained chef, who “descended into drug dealing”, has “some insight” into his offences, Mr Naylor explained. “He knows he will have to serve a considerable part of his life in prison. He will miss a large part of his children’s development.”
Graeme James, representing Arshad, informed the court his client wouldn’t have got involved with the 15 year old had he known her true age, insisting he thought she was 17. The judge, however, observed that the jury had dismissed Arshad’s version of events.
Simon Killeen, acting for Badshah, said a probation officer had characterised him as impressionable and having his own vulnerabilities.
Duncan Bould, defending Singh, stated his client recognises his relationship with the two girls was “inappropriate”, and that Singh admitted providing them with cannabis.
“He is a lonely and socially isolated person” who had a “devastating commitment to alcohol”, the court heard.
Bould also pointed out that Singh has a “significant disability”, asking the judge to take into account the challenges he would encounter behind bars.
Gareth Bellis, defending Gray, contended she belongs in a different category from her co-accused. The Manchester grandmother had previously battled crack cocaine addiction.
She had journeyed to North Wales in a bid to break free from both her drug addiction and abusive relationships, but had “slipped back” into drug use, where she came across Iqbal’s drug runner and subsequently Iqbal himself. Bellis described Gray as a “minion” of Iqbal.
His Honour Judge Simon Mills condemned the defendants in the harshest possible terms, stating that each male defendant had taken part in trips to Manchester or London, targeting the 15 and 14 year old girls as “easy prey”, while further offences were carried out in North Wales.
Addressing Iqbal directly, the judge declared: “I have no doubt you are a dangerous offender (and) you pose a serious risk to young girls.”
Mustafa Iqbal, 43, of Trellewelyn Road, Rhyl, was convicted of four counts of rape, three counts of conspiracy to require a person to perform compulsory labour, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, two counts of conspiracy to traffic, conspiracy to supply cannabis to another, conspiracy to supply cocaine to another, supplying cannabis to another, arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, and breaching a slavery/trafficking risk order.
He received a 30-year custodial sentence for each offence of rape and trafficking for sexual exploitation. He must complete two thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole, with concurrent sentences handed down for his remaining offences.
Mohamed Usman Arshad, 36, from Clifton Grove in Rhyl, was convicted of three counts of rape, two counts of conspiracy to traffic, two counts of conspiracy to require a person to perform compulsory labour, and supplying cannabis to another.
He was handed a 19-year prison term for trafficking and 12 years each for three counts of rape, to run concurrently, alongside further concurrent sentences for his other crimes.
Ziaullah Badshah, 25, from Brighton Road in Rhyl, was found guilty of two counts of rape, two counts of conspiracy to traffic, two counts of conspiracy to require a person to perform compulsory labour and supplying cannabis to another.
He was given a 17-year jail sentence for trafficking, with additional concurrent sentences for the other offences.
Jaswinder Singh, 61, from River Street in Rhyl, was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to traffic and one count of supplying cannabis to another.
He received an eight-year custodial sentence for trafficking, with concurrent terms imposed for the remaining crimes.
Sarah Gray, 53, from Llanasa Road in Gronant, also faced numerous charges connected to her role in the offending.
She was convicted of perverting the course of justice, assisting an offender, conspiracy to supply cocaine to another and conspiracy to supply cannabis to another.
She received a seven-year sentence for a drugs offence and an additional year for perverting the course of justice, with concurrent sentences given for the other charges. Speaking outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Richard Sidney, the senior investigating officer from North Wales Police, said: “The conclusion of this case marks an important moment for the three victims, who have had to live with the consequences of what happened to them for a considerable period of time and continue to do so.
“The sentences imposed today reflect the gravity of the group’s offending and the very serious nature of the crimes committed against these young women.
“These investigations were complex and involved extensive work to understand what had happened, gather evidence, and ensure those responsible were brought before the court.
“I recognise that the criminal justice process can be incredibly difficult for victims of sexual exploitation, particularly when they are required to revisit traumatic experiences. The courage shown by the victims throughout these investigations and the trial that followed has been remarkable.
“I hope that today’s outcome provides them with some sense of justice and allows them to look towards the future with greater confidence.
“Our message to those who target children for sexual exploitation is clear: we will investigate, we will pursue the evidence, and we will work with our partners to hold offenders to account.
“I would also like to thank everyone involved in this investigation, including our specialist officers and staff, partner agencies and the prosecution team, whose work has been instrumental in securing these convictions and sentences.”
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