Four men have been convicted for the horrific rape and sexual exploitation of a vulnerable 16-year-old girl who had run away from home in a case spanning multiple cities across the Midlands and North West.
A Nightmare Ordeal Begins
The teenager's ordeal began in Birmingham after she accepted a lift from Arqash Zaffar, 41, of Persehouse Street, Walsall, and Mohammed Nadim, 45, of Holtshill Lane, Walsall. Zaffar drove the girl to a secluded area where both he and Nadim sexually assaulted her in the back of the car.
Zaffar then collected an associate, Shaban Arif, 42, of Holden Crescent, Walsall, and the pair drove the victim to Manchester. There, they met another associate, Shiraz Nassir, 40, of Fir Road, Greater Manchester. The group travelled to Nassir's home in Denton, where the girl was raped by both Zaffar and Nassir.
Systematic Abuse Across Multiple Locations
Following this attack, Zaffar and Arif took the girl to Walsall, where Arif had booked a hotel room. Crucially, Arif provided his own name, vehicle registration, and driver's licence as identification, which later became vital evidence for police.
Inside the hotel room, the girl was subjected to further abuse by Zaffar, with Arif present. Zaffar then drove her back to Birmingham, where he offered another associate the opportunity to stay with the girl in a hotel room, even showing them a key, but they declined.
Later that same evening, the victim was taken to another hotel room where four unknown men raped her one after the other.
Complex Investigation and Convictions
The brave teenager reported the crimes to police, sparking a major investigation. Officers from West Midlands Police's Public Protection Unit used phone records, hotel bookings, vehicle and insurance details, and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data to identify and locate the perpetrators.
Following a trial, the men were found guilty on multiple counts. Arqash Zaffar was convicted of five counts of rape, causing a child to engage in sexual activity without consent on four occasions, and facilitating travel with a view to sexual exploitation. Shiraz Nassir was found guilty of rape. Mohammed Nadim was convicted of sexual assault. Shaban Arif was found guilty of facilitating the travel of a child with a view to sexual exploitation.
Detective Constable Stewart Garratt, who led the investigation, praised the victim's courage: "This has been a complex investigation... she is commended for her bravery, I'm so pleased with these convictions for her in particular."
He added: "These males took advantage of a clearly vulnerable teenager, what she experienced was deeply traumatic. She found the strength to report this and specialist child abuse officers worked extremely hard to identify these men, and in doing so have got justice for her."
All four defendants have been remanded in custody and are scheduled to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 19 March 2026.
West Midlands Police emphasised that survivors of sexual assault have lifelong anonymity by law. The force encourages anyone who has suffered a similar ordeal to seek support, either through the police or dedicated partner organisations.
