British couple of Pakistani origin found guilty of trafficking, molesting girl

LONDON: A senior British citizen of Pakistani origin, who trafficked a 10-year-old deaf and mute girl into Britain, keeping her in his cellar to claim benefits, was convicted of repeatedly raping her.

According to British media reports, Ilyas Ashar, 84, was found guilty of 13 counts of rape against the girl, who is now in her 20s, after she was kept at the home he shared with his wife Tallat in Eccles, Salford, and made to sleep in the “sparse, cold and damp” cellar.

Tallat Ashar, 68, was also found guilty of trafficking and benefit fraud at an earlier trial, as was her husband Ilyas.

This can now be reported after the lifting of reporting restrictions, following Ilyas Ashar's conviction for rape at a retrial.

The couple will be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on 23 October.

The jury Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard that the girl, who is from Pakistan, and is profoundly deaf and cannot speak, was beaten and slapped as well as being forced to work for Ashar and his family and friends in virtual slavery as a domestic servant.

Details of the victim’s ordeal only emerged after she was taught sign language following her accidental discovery in 2009 by trading standards officers who had come to the couple’s house to investigate possible illegal activities.

She was found in the cellar, which was described as "sparse, cold and damp".

Police said the girl cleaned and cooked at the house, and was taken to other houses belonging to the family to carry out domestic chores.

Ashar used his victim to satisfy his sexual desires as well as enlisting his wife to use the girl’s details to steal more than £30,000 in benefits as well as set up several bank accounts in her name.

Two female jurors wept as the guilty verdicts were delivered against Ilyas Ashar, who was warned by Judge Peter Lakin to expect a “substantial prison sentence”. The judge said he was excusing the jurors of further jury service for a decade after hearing traumatic evidence.

Ashar had been convicted at an earlier trial of two counts of trafficking a person into the UK for exploitation and three counts relating to the fraudulent obtaining of benefits. Tallat Ashar, 68, and the couple’s daughter, Faaiza Ashar, 46, were also found guilty at the previous trial of benefit fraud charges.

After that jury had been unable to reach a verdict against Ilyas Ashar on the rape charges, a re-trial was ordered which was the subject of reporting restrictions until yesterday’s convictions. Police described Ilyas Ashar as “pure evil”, having obtained and exploited a victim who had no means to communicate and no contacts beyond his family.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was only found after trading standards officials visited their Cromwell Road home investigating allegations of illegal activity.