Fact Check: Mohammed Zahid, one of the defendants, was previously jailed for five years in 2016 for sexual assault of a child.

Fact Check: "Mohammed Zahid, one of the defendants, was previously jailed for five years in 2016 for sexual assault of a child."

What We Know

The claim that Mohammed Zahid was previously jailed for five years in 2016 for sexual assault of a child is partially accurate but misleading. In 2016, Zahid was indeed sentenced to five years in prison; however, this sentence was not specifically for sexual assault of a child but rather for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl in 2006, which took place when she visited his stall to buy tights (source-5, source-6). The context of the crime indicates that it involved a minor, but it is important to note that the specific charge was not labeled as "sexual assault of a child" in the available reports.

Zahid was part of a larger group convicted of sexual exploitation and abuse of two teenage girls in Rochdale between 2001 and 2006. The victims were groomed and subjected to various forms of abuse, including being passed around among multiple men (source-1, source-2).

Analysis

The claim is misleading because it simplifies and mischaracterizes the nature of Zahid's previous conviction. While it is true that he was jailed for a crime involving a minor, the specific details of the offense are crucial for understanding the context. The 2016 conviction was for engaging in sexual activity with a minor, which is serious but does not explicitly label the crime as "sexual assault" in the traditional sense used in legal terminology.

The sources reporting on Zahid's conviction are credible, including the Crown Prosecution Service and major news outlets like the BBC and The Guardian, which have covered the case extensively (source-1, source-7). These sources provide a detailed account of the charges and the nature of the offenses committed by Zahid and his co-defendants.

However, the lack of specificity in the claim could lead to misunderstandings about the nature of his criminal history. It is essential to differentiate between various types of sexual offenses, as the implications and legal definitions can vary significantly.

Conclusion

The verdict is False. While it is accurate that Mohammed Zahid was jailed for five years in 2016, the claim that he was convicted specifically for "sexual assault of a child" is misleading. The conviction was for engaging in sexual activity with a minor, which, while serious, does not align with the typical legal definition of sexual assault. This distinction is critical for an accurate understanding of the nature of his offenses.

Sources

1. Seven men convicted for sexually exploiting children in Rochdale
2. Grooming gang guilty of raping and abusing girls
3. Rochdale men jailed for 'appalling and vile' abuse
4. Seven men convicted for grooming Rochdale teens they 'kept as sex slaves'
5. Rochdale gang guilty of raping and abusing girls for five years
6. Seven men convicted of sexual exploitation of two teenage girls in Rochdale
7. Seven men who groomed vulnerable girls in Rochdale guilty of multiple sex offences
8. Grooming gang convicted of 'horrific sex crimes' against two girls in Rochdale