UK pedophile gang targeted young girls for sex

 http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/uk-pedophile-gang-targeted-young-girls-for-sex_787534.html

London: A group of five pedophiles in Britain have been found guilty of targeting ''vulnerable'' teenage girls for sex by offering drugs, money and even cuddly toys, according to a report.

A UK court heard how Anthony Lambert, 51, Stefan Godfrey, 44, John Shaw, 54, Ijaz Ahmed, 35, and Mark Adaoui, 40, picked the girls up from care homes and streets in Derby and paid them up to 30 dollars to perform sex acts.

The jury at Derby Crown Court was told that the men gave the girls, aged between 13 and 15, alcohol, drugs and cuddly toys to encourage them to have sex with them, The Daily Mail reports.

Following the ruling, Detective Superintendent Andy Stokes, head of Public Protection at Derbyshire Police, said the convictions would not have been possible had the victims involved not been brave enough to come forward and speak to police.

“They were very vulnerable girls, some of whom came from unstable or difficult backgrounds. They were easy prey for these men, who made them feel important and safe, buying them presents to keep them on side,” the paper quoted Stokes, as saying.

“The girls at times felt flattered by the attention and were grateful for the gifts. But they gradually realised that what they were involved in was wrong, they were putting themselves at risk and the men were exploiting them,” he added.

According to the paper, five other men, who were part of the same investigation, have already admitted sexual offences involving children at earlier hearings.