A man has been jailed for five years for raping a girl in Rotherham 21 years ago, following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.
Waleed Ali, 42, of Scunthorpe, was found guilty within hours of jurors beginning deliberations at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, 13 September, and sentenced immediately afterwards.
Officers from Operation Stovewood – the NCA’s investigation into historic allegations of sexual abuse in Rotherham – launched their investigation after identifying and speaking with a woman they believed may have been sexually abused as a child.
The woman told specially-trained NCA officers about the attack, which happened when she was 14 years old and which she said she had not previously reported.
Ali, then in his early 20s, targeted the victim after spotting her sitting alone at a water fountain in Rotherham town centre on a day sometime in 2003 or 2004.
Ali and a group of men approached the girl, and he asked her to go into a nearby alleyway with him. When she repeatedly refused his demands, Ali grabbed the girl by the arm and tried to force her to her feet.
Intimidated by Ali and the men, the girl went into the dark alleyway. Having got the girl away from public sight, Ali raped her.
After launching their investigation, NCA officers arrested and interviewed Ali in September 2021.
He denied the crime and told officers he felt “sick” at their questions. However, he had previously been convicted of raping and indecently assaulting a 13-year-old girl in the same alleyway in early 2003 in a case investigated by South Yorkshire Police.
Senior investigating officer Stuart Cobb said, “After speaking with the victim, National Crime Agency officers meticulously identified corroborating evidence.
“For 21 years the victim suffered in silence but her brave testimony combined with our investigative work has ensured her attacker faced justice.
“I urge anyone who is a victim of child sexual abuse, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred, to seek support and, if they feel ready, report it to the police, who have officers specially trained to investigate such cases.”
