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Two cousins have been found guilty of grooming and raping five teenage girls as part of 'appalling' historic abuse. Manzorr Hussain, 54, and his cousin Imtiaz Ali, 53, faced justice for crimes committed against the girls in Bury in the late 1990s. Their victims were given drink and drugs before being abused by the men, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. They came from troubled backgrounds and were manipulated by the rapists for their own sexual gratification. The abuse occurred mainly in Bury, but also in other locations across Greater Manchester as well as in Wales. The pair were found guilty following a four week trial. They will be sentenced in December. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE A third man, Hussain's older brother Ghulam Hussain, 64, was charged with a 'number of sexual offences' in connection with the case but has 'left the country', jurors heard during the trial. They were told it was not their task to decide whether Ghulam Hussain was guilty or not guilty. Opening the case on behalf of the prosecution, Anna Pope said: "It is a case about five teenage girls, who we say were groomed and sexually abused by three men. We say this took place in the late 1990s. "We say that these sexual offences took place in houses, a hotel, sometimes in a car or a van. A number of the girls, we say, were particularly vulnerable. "They had troubled backgrounds. The prosecution says that older men took advantage of their personal situations and groomed them with drink, drugs, lifts in a car and a place to spend time, as well as company. "In reality, we say that this was part of a grooming process and the girls were made to feel like in return they owed something to these men. When sexual activity began and took place between these young teenage girls and much older men, we say that they weren't truly consenting to any of this." Ms Pope claimed Ghulam Hussain was the 'main man', who allegedly abused teenage girls then 'passed them around to others' including his brother Manzorr Hussain and cousin Ali. The trio all ran market stalls, it was said. Ghulam Hussain, formerly of Manchester Road, Bury, lived in a large home with his wife and children, jurors heard. His younger brother Manzoor Hussain raped and abused girls and 'arranged for other girls to be available' for other men, prosecutors said. Ms Pope said 'parties' would be held at an address said to be linked to Ali, where girls would be given drugs and alcohol and be 'expected to provide sexual services to those there'. One girl raped by both Manzoor Hussain and Imtiaz Ali said she was told that if she didn't do what they told her she would be taken to the moors, have her clothes taken and left there. The Crown Prosecution Service said that Hussain took one of his victims to a flat, where she was told to enter a bedroom where there was nothing but a dirty mattress. There, she was abused by strangers who entered one by one, the CPS said. Prosecutors said that one of the victims initially came forward to report her ordeals, and that the others were then approached by officers investigating the case. Hussain, of Manchester Road, Bury, was convicted of seven counts of rape and seven counts of indecent assault. Ali, of Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, Bury, was found guilty of five counts of rape, five counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. After the hearing, Claire Brinton, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Manzorr Hussain and Imtiaz Ali exploited five vulnerable teenage girls, grooming them with alcohol and drugs before subjecting them to appalling sexual abuse. “The defendants deliberately targeted children they knew they could exploit and treated them as objects to be passed around for their own and others’ sexual gratification. They showed a callous disregard for the girls’ welfare and used manipulation, force, threats and fear to control them and make them comply with their sick demands. "These women have demonstrated remarkable bravery in coming forward, remaining engaged with the legal process, and reliving deeply traumatic experiences from over two decades ago. I would like to thank all of them; I hope these convictions can bring them some comfort. "Our Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, in collaboration with Greater Manchester Police, was able to use extensive evidence to build a comprehensive picture of the offending to present to a jury who found the defendants guilty and delivered the justice these women deserved.”
