Three jailed for gang rape of schoolgirl in Rusholme Hotel room
It was set up like a sadistic game of hide and seek
Kate McCoubreyA schoolgirl was coaxed into a hotel room and sexually attacked by five men at the Victoria Park Hotel near Rusholme.
The 16-year-old was deemed ‘easy prey’ by her attackers and was forced into intercourse by the group of men, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Three of the attackers, all aged 20, have been identified. Muyahdeen Osman, Bilal, and Mowlef Yussuf are all beginning lengthy jail sentences after being convicted of rape at Manchester Crown Court.
Bilal Ahmed, Mowled Yussuf and Muhyadeen Osman
The other two offenders have yet to be identified.
The traumatised victim told the court it all started by arranging to meet one of the men via Blackberry Messenger, for the first time.
Once she had met the man, he led her to the Victoria Park Hotel where he and a number of other young men from South Manchester had hired rooms to celebrate Eid.
The group of men had over stayed their checking out time, and avoided the porter by running along corridors, and hiding in unoccupied rooms.
The schoolgirl was attacked in room 38 of the Victoria Park Hotel, Rusholme
The girl thought these actions were part of a game, and preceded to join in. This led to her being pounced on in the bathroom of room 38.
The guilty trio Osman, Ahmed, and Yussuf from Fallowfield, Whalley Range and Levenshulme respectively have shown no remorse since being found guilty in their trial in 2015.
Second year Imogen said: “This is all very frightening. There has been a lot of talk about sexual assault around the student village, but this ordeal must have been horrendous.
“Knowing that one of the attackers came from Fallowfield made me feel extremely uncomfortable. It’s a bit too close for comfort. It’s frightening.”
Manchester Crown Court, where the attackers were sent down
The men even disrespected their victim in the trial. Yussuf gestured defiance at the public gallery as he was sent down and Ahmed implied he intended to smear his victim’s character when interviewed by his prohibition officer.
Michael Goldwater, Osman’s barrister, labelled the group ‘overheated and immature’, claiming they ‘got carried away’ and capitalised after the schoolgirl ‘made the decision to place herself in that position’. Implying that the innocent girl was in some way to blame for the attacks.
Yussuf was sentenced to ten years, Osman, who was also guilty of an unconnected robbery for 12 years, and Ahmed for nine years.
Sending them down, Judge Hernandez said: “You all saw her as easy prey. She was a naive and sexually inexperienced, vulnerable young girl.
“It all turned sinister when you got her into the bathroom of room 38. You just assumed that you each could do with her as you chose”.