'They came for one thing - sex with girls': Key witness in sexual abuse case describes grooming

A key witness in the trial of three brothers convicted of sexually abusing girls has told Sky News about seeing the men groom underage girls. The Miah brothers have been jailed after being found guilty in October of 62 offences between them, including child rape, kidnap and intimidation, committed between 1996 and 2010.

Shaha Amran Miah, 49, known as Jai; Shaha Alman Miah, 47, known as Ali; and Shah Joman Miah, 38, known as Sarj all pleaded not guilty. Jai was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years and 338 days; Ali to 10 years in prison and four years on licence; and Sarj to life with a minimum term of 21 years and 232 days.

There were tears in the public gallery, where three of the victims sat, as Judge Unsworth KC announced that since his conviction, Sarj has now admitted to all his crimes. One of the women responded: "It's too late!". The court heard Sarj and Jai regularly sexually abused two children at a mosque in Leeds over many years.

One of the victims, who was abused from the age of seven, said as a child she "felt as though I was in hell". In an impact statement read out by prosecution barrister Tim Evans KC, she said: "I never felt safe, I just felt fear. I felt trapped. "I wanted to be in the courtroom to give evidence but I couldn't. I was still too afraid to be in the same room as you both. You're vile and disgusting human beings.".

Another victim said in her impact statement: "I sat in the mosque, in the place all children are supposed to be kept safe - little did I know this would be the place I had my first suicidal thought. I wanted to die. I was seven.". 'They were all underage'.

The three brothers also preyed on vulnerable, underage girls at a flat above their family's takeaway in Barrow between 2008 and 2010. They gave them cigarettes, alcohol, food and even hair extensions in what prosecution barrister Tim Evans KC described as a "classic grooming technique". He said the brothers worked as a "team" and "created an environment in Barrow in which each of them could abuse young girls".

Sky News spoke to a key witness in the trial, called Elizabeth. She was 19 at the time and her boyfriend worked at the takeaway. She said there were often young girls in their school uniforms in the flat. "It was dark, it was dingy - and I think it looked like a crack house. There were a load of mattresses on the floor - sheets up against the windows.".

She described so-called "parties" where the girls were given alcohol and paired up with men who often came from out of town. "More men came down from Leeds," she said. "I know they'd come down for one thing, and that was for sex with girls... I'd say roughly 20, 30 girls I'd seen coming and going, and they were all underage.".

'My childhood was stolen'. The court heard how Sarj would take one underage girl to a hotel for sex, sneaking her in after the receptionist had left for the night. In a victim impact statement, she said suffers nightmares, and added: "I feel my childhood was effectively stolen from me by Sarj.".

Elizabeth told Preston Crown Court how at one point police asked her to give an interview about the men's sexual activities with underage girls and somehow Jai found out. Elizabeth was pregnant at the time and said he threatened to burn her house down if she did the interview, telling her: "I will set this house on fire with you and your partner in it and I'll make sure that kid will never come out of you.".

'Not every girl's a liar - grooming was happening here'. Barrow-in-Furness became famous for the "fake grooming scandal" - in March 2023, 22-year-old Eleanor Williams was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for lying about being the victim of an Asian grooming gang.

Elizabeth said it led to one of the victims in this trial considering pulling out as they felt they wouldn't be believed. She is frustrated this case has not received as much attention as that of Ellie Williams. She said: "Barrow got branded to be a lying town. It's not. Grooming was happening here and still probably is.

"Not every girl's a liar you know and it's not fair. Why don't you put this out as much as you shouted about Ellie Williams being a liar?". Elizabeth said four days after the verdict in October, someone smashed her window, and despite today's sentencing, she still feels scared.

"I kind of feel anxious, yeah, cos I know, like I said, there's other guys out there that I have named, so that kind of makes me feel... yeah, I still feel like I need to look over my shoulder.". Shaha Amran Miah was found guilty of 16 sexual offences against three girls, including rape, as well as two charges of intimidation and one of kidnap.

Shaha Alman Miah was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child. Shah Joman Miah was convicted of sexually abusing three children and among 40 offences, there were nine counts of rape of a child. Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.