A man has been sentenced to five years in prison for raping a 14-year-old girl in a Rotherham alleyway 21 years ago, as reported by the National Crime Agency (NCA). Waleed Ali, 42, from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, was found guilty by jurors at Sheffield Crown Court and immediately received his sentence. The NCA revealed that Ali had previously been convicted of raping and indecently assaulting another 13-year-old girl in the same alleyway in early 2003 following an investigation by South Yorkshire Police.
This latest conviction is part of the NCA’s Operation Stovewood, which investigates historical child sexual abuse in Rotherham spanning from 1997 to 2013. The NCA arrested Ali in September 2021 after a woman came forward to disclose an attack that occurred when she was 14 years old. Ali had approached the victim when she was sitting alone at a water fountain in Rotherham town centre between March 2003 and March 2004. He coerced her into a nearby alleyway with a group of men and proceeded to rape her.
During a 2021 interview, Ali denied the crime and expressed feeling unwell at the questions posed by officers. Stuart Cobb, the senior investigating officer, commended the victim for her bravery in sharing her testimony after suffering in silence for 21 years. This conviction is part of a larger effort as part of Operation Stovewood, which aims to bring justice to victims of historical child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.
In related news, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reported that seven men were jailed for child sex abuse offences against two young girls in Rotherham during the 2000s. The abuse instances began when one of the girls was just 11 years old, with the perpetrators providing cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, and money before assaulting or raping them. Operation Stovewood was initiated following the Jay Report in 2014, which uncovered widespread child sexual exploitation by predominantly Pakistani heritage gangs in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
The NCA continues to pursue investigations into child sexual abuse cases, urging victims to come forward and seek support. More than 1,100 children have been identified as victims of exploitation in Rotherham during the specified period, with ongoing efforts expected to last until 2027. Operation Stovewood’s costs have been estimated at approximately £90 million, with dozens of convictions already secured. Victims of child sexual abuse are encouraged to report incidents to the police for assistance.