North Wales grooming gang members receive lengthy prison sentences

Five members of a grooming gang in North Wales have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the sexual exploitation of three teenage girls. The group targeted victims aged 14, 15, and 16 in the town of Rhyl between April 2022 and March 2024.

Ringleader Mustafa Iqbal, 43, received a 35-year sentence after being convicted of 21 offences, including four counts of rape. Other gang members received significant sentences: Mohamed Usman Arshad was sentenced to 19 years, Ziaullah Badshah to 17 years, Jaswinder Singh to eight years, and Sarah Gray to eight years for drug offences and perverting the course of justice.

The court heard that the group used alcohol and drugs, including cannabis and cocaine, to groom the teenagers before subjecting them to sexual assaults and rape. The investigation was conducted by North Wales Police through the analysis of CCTV and phone records.