Indian-origin man among 5 convicted after child sex crimes probe in UK

Indian-origin trafficker convicted in UK child exploitation case among 5 members of a gang.

An Indian-origin human trafficker was among five members of a gang convicted following a child sexual exploitation investigation of crimes dating back over four years conducted by the UK police.

“They were children, aged just 14 to 16, when they were subjected to exploitation and abuse by adults", said detective chief inspector (DCI) Richard Sidney, (AFP)

Jaswinder Singh, 61, was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to traffic and one count of supplying cannabis at the end of a three-month trial at Caernarfon Crown Court in Wales on Monday. North Wales Police said the convictions relate to the exploitation and abuse of three teenage girls in the seaside town of Rhyl and the surrounding area between April 2022 and March 2024.

“They were children, aged just 14 to 16, when they were subjected to exploitation and abuse by adults who took advantage of their vulnerabilities and sought to manipulate and control them for their own gain,” said detective chief inspector (DCI) Richard Sidney, senior investigating officer of the police force.

“No child should have to experience what these young women endured. The impact of child sexual exploitation can be profound and long lasting and the harm caused by these offences cannot be understated. Today’s verdicts represent an important step towards accountability and justice,” he said.

About the crimes and the criminals

The offences are said to have occurred in cars, residential addresses and at business premises in the Denbighshire area of Wales. During the trial, the court heard evidence of rape, sexual assault, child sexual exploitation, modern-day slavery offences, drug supply and attempts to obstruct justice. All offences were reviewed by North Wales Police detectives as part of linked investigations named Operation Embank and Operation Zirconium, which targeted those involved in child sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The accused, who included men of Pakistani heritage, had denied the charges brought against them and maintained their innocence throughout proceedings. However, in a unanimous jury verdict this week, all five accused were found guilty of more than 40 separate offences.

“Mustafa Iqbal, Mohamed Usman Arshad, Ziaullah Badshah, Jaswinder Singh and Sarah Gray denied almost every allegation against them from the outset. Rather than accepting responsibility for the appalling harm they caused, they forced these young women to endure the additional trauma of a lengthy trial, requiring them to relive their experiences in a courtroom,” DCI Sidney added.

While Singh, Iqbal, Arshad and Badshah have all been remanded in judicial custody, Gray has been bailed until

their sentencing hearing at Caernarfon Crown Court on September 25.