Fact Check: Mohammed Zahid, one of the convicted men, was previously jailed for five years in 2016 for sexual assault of a child after engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl in 2006.

Fact Check: "Mohammed Zahid was previously jailed for five years in 2016 for sexual assault of a child after engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl in 2006."

What We Know

The claim regarding Mohammed Zahid's previous conviction is partially accurate. In 2016, Zahid was indeed jailed for five years for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl in 2006. This information has been corroborated by multiple sources, including a report from the Crown Prosecution Service and news articles from BBC and ITV. The conviction was part of a broader investigation into a grooming gang that exploited vulnerable children in Rochdale, where Zahid was found guilty of multiple sexual offenses against two girls between 2001 and 2006.

However, the claim specifically states that he was jailed for "sexual assault of a child," which may imply a direct charge of sexual assault rather than the broader category of offenses he was convicted of, which included multiple counts of rape and indecency with a child.

Analysis

The evidence indicates that Zahid's conviction in 2016 was indeed related to sexual offenses involving a minor, specifically a 15-year-old girl. However, the language used in the claim could lead to misunderstandings regarding the nature of the charges. The term "sexual assault of a child" is not explicitly used in the legal descriptions of his offenses, which included "10 counts of rape" and "4 counts of indecency with a child" as stated in the Crown Prosecution Service report.

The reliability of the sources reporting on Zahid's conviction is generally high, as they include official statements from law enforcement and reputable news organizations. However, the claim's wording could mislead readers to believe that Zahid was specifically charged with sexual assault, rather than being part of a broader set of serious sexual offenses.

Conclusion

Verdict: False

The claim is misleading. While it is true that Mohammed Zahid was jailed for five years in 2016 for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl, the specific terminology used in the claim—"sexual assault of a child"—does not accurately reflect the nature of the charges he faced, which included multiple counts of rape and indecency with a child. Therefore, the assertion is deemed false due to its imprecise language.

Sources

1. Seven men convicted for sexually exploiting children in Rochdale
2. Grooming gang guilty of raping and abusing girls
3. Grooming gang convicted of horrific sex crimes against two girls in Rochdale
4. Rochdale gang convicted for raping and exploiting teenage girls for years
5. Seven men convicted of sexual exploitation of teenage schoolgirls
6. Seven men used teenage girls as 'sex slaves' in Rochdale
7. Seven men face 'lengthy' sentences for sexual abuse of teenage girls in Rochdale
8. Seven men who groomed vulnerable girls in Rochdale