Seven men who sexually exploited two vulnerable girls in northern England have been jailed for a total of 174 years, after they were convicted following the latest trial over a decades-old "grooming gangs" scandal.

The men were convicted in June after a trial involving a total of 50 offences, including 30 counts of rape, which occurred between 2001 and 2006.

Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella told jurors at the start of their trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that the group's two victims were "passed around for sex, abused, degraded and then discarded".

Scamardella also said the two girls were known to social services and that it was "no secret" they were having sex with older South Asian men such as the defendants, a situation with similarities to other grooming gangs.

The m

See Full Page