Rotherham taxi driver sentenced to 13 years for historical child rape
A former taxi driver from Rotherham has been handed a 13-year prison sentence for raping two children over 20 years ago.
Adam Ali, 43, was convicted as part of the National Crime Agency's (NCA) extensive Operation Stovewood investigation.
Ali, known as Razwan Razaq during the time of his offences, committed the assaults between 2002 and 2004. He exploited his position as a taxi driver to transport vulnerable young girls, aged 12 and 13, to various locations where he raped and sexually assaulted them.
The conviction, which was secured in May this year, includes three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Ali's latest sentencing follows his release in April 2023 from an 11-year sentence for separate sexual offences investigated by South Yorkshire Police. He was re-arrested by the NCA a month after his release when he was found planning to travel to Pakistan.
On Tuesday, 9 July, Sheffield Crown Court delivered the new 13-year sentence and imposed a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) on Ali.
Operation Stovewood is the NCA's largest investigation into historical child sexual abuse in Rotherham, covering allegations from 1997 to 2013. To date, the operation has identified over 1,100 victims, resulted in more than 200 arrests, and secured 34 convictions. More than 50 active investigations are still ongoing.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer, Stuart Cobb, said: "I would once again like to pay tribute to the victims in this case, who showed immense courage in coming forward and telling their stories.
"They went through experiences no child should ever have to, and I hope that the sentence handed down today can at least help them feel that justice has been done.
"Operation Stovewood continues, and we are determined to do all we can to protect victims and bring offenders before the courts."
Liz Fell, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said: "Adam Ali purposefully targeted his victims with the view that he could exploit them for sex.
"Child sexual abuse is a traumatising crime, the devastating impact of which can last a lifetime. We would like to commend the victims in this case for coming forward and reporting what happened to them. It is because of their evidence that we were able to secure a conviction and bring their abuser to justice.
"I hope this conviction sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside law enforcement, will relentlessly pursue justice and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, whenever that abuse takes place.
"I encourage any victims of child sexual abuse and sexual violence to report the crimes committed against them to the police. It is never too late to seek justice."
