Grooming gang convicted.

BANBURY,a small market town in North Oxfordshire, on Friday saw the latest child grooming Muslim and other foreign gangs convicted.

ONE of the victims in the Banbury sex abuse case has said she'd like to help others going through the same as she did.

The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said the people who have been working with her inspired her to want to work with others.

Six foreign men were jailed for a total of 31 years and nine months at Oxford Crown Court on Friday for a catalogue of sexual offences against teenage girls in Banbury.

The offences, which ranged from inciting sexual activity with a child, to rape, happened in cars, parks and homes in the town between 2009 and 2014.

One of the victims said: "When I used to go missing I would swear at my mum and I didn’t realise I was being really nasty to her. The men put me against my family – it was really clever. When I started hanging around with them I felt important.

"I had no friends and they were the only people left to talk to. It was a big part of my life and I was scared. I felt like all my friends were making new memories and I wasn’t part of them.

"Calling people ‘slags’ as the defence did in this case stops other girls from coming forward. I would say to other girls to think about the future. I never wanted to do it. I never wanted to have sex with them but I thought that’s what friends did.

"Everyone who worked with me was really good. They listened and took me seriously. They put a lot of effort in to the investigation. I would like to work in CSE in the future and help others who are going through this. The people who have been working with me have inspired me to want to work with others."

Oxford Crown Court heard how most of the young men met through organising activities under the name ‘Fiddy Events’ to raise money for their football club.

Ahmed Hassan-Sule, 21, of Glyndebourne Gardens, Banbury, was portrayed as the ringleader of the gang during an eight-week trial at Oxford Crown Court in February and March.

Sentencing Hassan-Sule and the others in a court packed with friends and relatives of the defendants and victims yesterday, Judge Zoe Smith said: “You put on charity events to raise money for your football club.

“This raised your profile among young people in Banbury and you saw yourself as a celebrity.

“Your friends helped put on these events and you became a sexually promiscuous group, not with your own girlfriends, but with girls who were young, vulnerable and lacking in maturity.”

Judge Smith sentenced Hassan-Sule to a total of nine years’ prison for 13 counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of sexual assault.

Mohamed Saleh, 22, of Orchard Way, Banbury, received a total of four years and nine months’ jail for sexual activity with a child.

Said Saleh, 20, also of Orchard Way, was jailed for four years for sexual activity with a child.

Takudzwa Hova, 21, of Broughton Way, Banbury, received a total of six years’ prison for rape, one count of sexual activity with a child and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Kagiso Manase, 26, of Warwick Road, Banbury, was jailed for a total of four years for one count of sexual activity with a child, one count of sexual assault and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity plus one year for possession of a fake UK residence permit, to run consecutively.

Zsolt Szalontai, 18, of Portway, Banbury, was sentenced to three years’ detention for rape.

Police carried out warrants in June 2014 as a result of Operation Reportage through the multi-agency Kingfisher team.

Detective Inspector Steve Raffield, from Banbury CID, said after the sentencing: “Today’s result would not have been possible without the bravery of the victims.

“I would like to thank them for coming forward and giving evidence in this case.”