20/12/25
A runaway 16-year-old girl was subjected to a prolonged and devastating ordeal after accepting a lift from strangers in Birmingham, a court has heard.
The teenager, who had fled her home, got into a car with Arqash Zaffar and Mohammed Nadim, unaware she was about to be sexually assaulted and passed between multiple men across the Midlands and North West.
Zaffar drove the girl to a secluded location where both he and Nadim sexually assaulted her while she was in the back of the vehicle. She was then driven to Walsall.
Still under Zaffar’s control, the girl was later taken to meet Shaban Arif, before being driven to Manchester to meet another associate, Shiraz Nassir. After collecting Nassir, the men travelled to his home in Denton, Greater Manchester, where the girl was raped by both Zaffar and Nassir.
Following the attack, Zaffar and Arif transported the teenager back to Walsall, where Arif had booked a hotel room. Although he falsely stated who would be using the room, Arif provided his own name, vehicle registration and driving licence as identification — evidence which later proved crucial to the police investigation.
Inside the hotel, the girl was subjected to further sexual abuse by Zaffar, with Arif again present.
Zaffar later drove her back to Birmingham, where he met another associate and offered them the chance to stay in a hotel room with the girl, even showing them a room key. The offer was declined.
That same evening, the teenager said she was taken to another hotel after Zaffar told her he “had something” for her. When she entered the room, four unknown men were inside. She was raped by them one after another.
The girl later reported the abuse to police. Officers identified those responsible using phone data, hotel booking records, vehicle and insurance information, and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) evidence.
- Zaffar, 41, of Persehouse Street, Walsall, was found guilty of five counts of rape, four counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity without consent and facilitating travel with a view to sexual exploitation.
- Nassir, 40, of Fir Road, Greater Manchester, was convicted of rape.
- Nadim, 45, of Holtshill Lane, Walsall, was convicted of sexual assault.
- Arif, 42, of Holden Crescent, Walsall, was convicted of facilitating the travel of a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
All four men have been remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 19 March 2026.
Detective Constable Stewart Garratt, from West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit, said the investigation had been complex and praised the teenager’s courage.
He said the men had exploited a clearly vulnerable child and that what she endured was deeply traumatic, adding that her decision to come forward had led to justice being secured.
Police stressed that survivors of sexual offences are protected by lifelong anonymity and urged anyone affected by similar crimes to seek support, whether or not they choose to report the offence.