Iranian 'sex gang' members guilty of child sexual exploitation and supplying teenage girls with drugs, three men cleared of sex offences

An eight-week trial came to an end at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday when jurors delivered their verdicts on five men accused of being part of a gang that drugged, raped and forced teenage girls into prostitution.

Mohammed Rostami, 37, and Amin Kaveh, 35, both of The Renown, Shoebury, and Mehdi Zare, 32, of Lupin Drive, Chelmsford, were convicted of various offences.

• Rostami was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child; one count of causing or inciting sexual exploitation of a child; supplying a controlled drug of class A to another and supplying a controlled drug of class B to another. The jury was discharged after failing to reach a verdict on one count of rape, so the offence will lie on file.
• Zare was found guilty of one count of sexual activity with a child; arranging or facilitating sexual exploitation of a child; supplying a class A drug to another and three counts of supplying a class B drug to another. He was cleared of two counts of sexual activity with a child.
• Kaveh was found guilty of supplying a controlled drug of class B to another. He was cleared of one count of sexual assault; three counts of rape and causing or inciting prostitution for gain. A charge of controlling prostitution for gain relating to a 16-year-old girl was dismissed during the trial. He admitted a further two counts of supplying drugs before the trial.
• Mohammed Zarei, 32, a taxi driver, of Delamere Road, was cleared of one count of rape.
• Mehdi Khashi, 32, a taxi driver, of Rookes Crescent, Chelmsford, was cleared of one count of rape.

The jury took nearly ten days to reach their verdicts.

Judge Patricia Lynch thanked jurors and said: "You have had to come face-to-face with things normal, decent, sensible people don't have to deal with in their daily lives."

Rostami worked as a delivery driver at Essex Pizza, in Duke Street, Chelmsford, where he met a 14-year-old girl who he groomed by giving her free pizza and drugs.

He was accused of raping her in the Tesco Homeplus car park, off Parkway, Chelmsford, sometime between August 2006 and August 2008, but the jury could not reach a verdict.

However, he was convicted of sexually touching the troubled youngster on multiple occasions and driving her around Essex and London to have sex with other Iranian men between 2006 and 2009.

The trial heard how the first time she had sex with an Iranian associate of Rostami's in return for drugs, she said she was told to "respect her elders".

When Rostami was bored of the girl, he handed her to Mehdi Zare, who continued the sexual exploitation by taking her to other Iranian men.

Zare was found not guilty of a specific incident of sexual activity with a child at a house in Meadgate, Chelmsford, but was convicted of abusing the girl in a loft space at CM Pizza, in Duke Street, Chelmsford, between August 2006 and August 2009. At the time, the shop was owned by his brother, Hadi.

Zare was cleared of later sexually abusing the girl in a room at the Saracen’s Head hotel in Chelmsford High Street.

• Mehdi Zare

Amin Kaveh had also been accused of sexually assaulting and raping the first victim on numerous occasions when she was an adult and controlling another adult woman for prostitution, but he was cleared.

He was further accused of controlling a 16-year-old girl for prostitution but that charge was dismissed on a technicality during the trial and a formal not guilty verdict was entered by Judge Lynch.

Abuse victim says: ‘I finally feel free’ 

A WOMAN who was passed between two abusers who sold her for sex with dozens of men when she was just a teenager has bravely spoken out about her torment.

The woman was a troubled 14-year-old when she sought refuge at the pizza restaurant where Mohammed Rostami worked, believing him to be her boyfriend.

She said: “I finally feel free. I have spent the last few years thinking they wouldn’t pay for what they have done to me and others. I never thought anyone would believe me. I now feel a huge weight has been finally lifted from my shoulders.

“What happened has affected me in so many ways, not just physically but mentally and emotionally, too.

“I have been on self-destruct mode most of my life. I felt dirty and disgusting, like I did something wrong, and still do.

“I have lost friends and I nearly lost my relationship with my family. I lost relationships as I found it hard to trust not just men but anyone.

“But I am learning day by day that I can’t let them beat me. I have now moved away and started afresh and am just getting on with my life the best I can, with the love and support from my amazing boyfriend and my family.

“If someone is trying to make you do something you either don’t want to do or you know is wrong, then please speak to someone as soon as you can. You should never be made uncomfortable and made to do anything you don’t want to.

“You can talk to the police, a schoolteacher or someone that you trust, but please do not allow what happened to me to happen to you. There are people out there that can help you. You will be believed.

“There are bad people in the world and things do happen. People need to be more aware what is going on around them, and if someone suspects that someone is being exploited in any way then please talk to someone.”

Speaking after the verdicts, Det Supt Mark Hall, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “Rostami and Zare took advantage of a troubled young girl and exploited her vulnerability.

“Rostami groomed her first with friendship and free food, which quickly degenerated into getting her hooked on drugs and luring her into sex.

“She believed they were in a loving relationship but he farmed her out to other men and used her addiction to drugs as a way of controlling her. When he lost interest, Mehdi Zare stepped to take over from where Rostami left off.

“What this young girl endured is beyond comprehension. She has been extremely courageous in coming forward and I pay tribute to her.”

• Mohammed Rostami

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “These two men have been found guilty of the most heinous crimes against vulnerable girls, plying them with drugs for their own sexual gratification.

“The multiple convictions show a calculated operation of grooming girls for sex and then threatening violence in an attempt to stop their victims speaking out.

“The victims’ bravery was crucial in bringing the perpetrators to justice. We would urge anyone in a similar position to call ChildLine on 0800 1111."

Abuser had £10k stash of designer drug stored at his flat

HUGE quantities of a designer drug used to keep teenage girls in the thrall of pimps and abusers were uncovered at a Shoebury flat.

Police found £10k worth of mephedrone, also knows an Dolly or Miaow-Miaow when they raided the Shoebury home of Mohammed Rostami and Amin Kaveh in April, 2015.

The drug was used by Iranian abusers Mohammed Rostami and Mehdi Zare to pay girls for their ‘work’.

Raids were also carried out in Cowpar Mews, Braintree, and East Hanningfield Road, in Chelmsford.

Items associated with drug dealing were found at all three addresses.
Rostami, Kaveh, Asadollah Zare, 40, and Ebrahim Zare, 42, both of of Cowpar Mews, Braintree, were arrested and each charged with one count of conspiracy to supply mephedrone.

Asadollah Zare, admitted the charge halfway through a trial and was jailed for four years. Ebrahim Zare pleaded not guilty but was convicted and jailed for two years.

Rostami admitted conspiracy to supply mephedrone. Kaveh denied the charge but was convicted by a jury. Both are due to be sentenced on January 12.

All sentences are due on January 12, 2017.