Police and social workers have apologised for not protecting vulnerable schoolgirls who were sexually abused and exploited by a paedophile ring.
The admissions of failure which saw the girls being drugged and raped when they were supposed to be in the care of the authorities came as a gang of men were found guilty of a catalogue of offences including rape, trafficking and organising prostitution over eight years involving girls as young as 11 in the Oxford area.
Two sets of brothers Akhtar Dogar, 32, and Anjum Dogar, 31, and Mohammed Karrar, 38, and Bassam Karrar, 33 were convicted along with Kamar Jamil, 27, Assad Hussain, 32, and Zeeshan Ahmed, 27.
Fighting broke out in the dock at the Old Bailey after two other defendants Mohammed Hussain and a man who cannot be named for legal reasons were cleared.
The seven men found guilty of offences against the six girls were remanded in custody for sentencing next month. Zeeshan Ahmed struck out at Mohammed Hussain after Hussain was cleared.
He struggled as dock officers lifted him up and out of court.
Police missed several chances to catch gang members before they were finally arrested. Some victims relived their ordeals during the five-month trial, describing how they were groomed, beaten, betrayed and sold into prostitution around the country.
One victim, Girl A, complained of her plight to police on two occasions but no one was charged. A care home manager refused to pay her taxi fare when she returned after absconding.
The girl, who was 14 at the time, was driven back to Oxford to be raped.
The carer was later sacked and the privately-run home where girls were placed by Oxford County Council was closed down.
Joanna Simons, the council’s chief executive, apologised to the girls.
She said: “We are incredibly sorry we were not able to stop it any sooner. We were up against a gang of devious criminals.
“The girls thought they were their friends. I would like to pay tribute to the courage of the girls in giving evidence. They have been so brave.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Rob Mason said: “Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council social services deeply regret that this activity wasn’t identified sooner and that we were too reliant on victims supporting criminal proceedings, and that they suffered a terrible ordeal.”
The men were remanded in custody to June 26.