Men jailed for raping teenage girl in Rotherham

Men jailed for raping teenage girl in Rotherham

Chloe Aslett - Yorkshire

Mon, December 22, 2025 at 5:28 PM UTC

2 min read

Side-by-side mugshots. Both men have some black facial hair just on their chin. They have short black hair. — Kessur Ajaib and Mohammed Makhmood raped the girl, who was aged about 14, more than 20 years ago [National Crime Agency]

Two men have been jailed for raping a girl in Rotherham more than two decades ago.

Kessur Ajaib, 44, and Mohammed Makhmood, 43, abused the girl over a period of more than two years, starting in 1999, when she was about 14.

Ajaib gave her alcohol and raped her in an alleyway, and Makhmood raped her in a graveyard after spotting her at a bus stop and inviting her to smoke a cigarette, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Ajaib and Makhmood were jailed for eight-and-a-half years and seven years respectively following a trial.

Ajaib was also convicted of indecently assaulting the girl and sentenced to three years' imprisonment to run concurrently.

He was cleared of a second count of rape against her.

Both men, who were aged between 18 and 20 at the time of the offending, must sign the sex offenders' register for life.

A third offender, Sageer Hussain, was sentenced to three additional years in prison in November for raping a second victim.

The 40-year-old had already been serving a 19-year sentence at HMP Moorland near Doncaster for raping a girl aged about 13.

He was cleared of two counts of rape relating to Ajaib and Makhmood's victim.

A mugshot of Hussain. He has short, dark hair and is wearing a light grey crew-neck sweatshirt. The background is plain and light-coloured. — Sageer Hussain is already serving an extensive jail term for sexual offences [National Crime Agency]

Liz Fell, specialist prosecutor for the CPS Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said: "Ajaib, Hussain and Makhmood deliberately exploited the victims' vulnerabilities, abusing them in the most appalling way and leaving a lasting impact on two women who they callously targeted and mistreated as children."

She said the men had now been held accountable for their "horrific" crimes thanks to the women's "immense courage" in engaging in the legal process.

"Their determination and strength in seeing this case through has been crucial in bringing these offenders to justice," Ms Fell added.

Specially trained officers from Operation Stovewood, the National Crime Agency's (NCA) investigation into sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, identified the woman may have been a victim and reached out to her.

NCA senior investigating officer Alan Hastings said the information shared by the woman allowed officers to "secure justice" for her.

"I hope it will bring the woman some closure to know that Ajaib and Makhmood are now in prison," he added.

"I encourage victims to report child sexual abuse to police if they feel ready to do so.

"Specially trained officers are ready and waiting to help."

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Men jailed for raping teenage girl in Rotherham

Men jailed for raping teenage girl in Rotherham

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