Two grooming gang members in Rotherham have been handed a pair of decades-long prison sentences for raping girls who were "vulnerable in the extreme".
Ivorian national Romauld Stefan Houphouet, 37, and Zimbabwean Absolom Sigiyo, 42, who both lived in the Yorkshire town,were found guilty of raping two 15-year-old girls countless times between 2011 and 2012.
The vile pair's victims told investigators they were taken to numerous "parties" in Rotherham where they were given alcohol and abused by the men, some of whom openly referred to them as "fresh meat".
At Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, Houphouet was sentenced to 20 years behind bars, while Sigiyo was given an 18-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
Absolom Sigiyo (left) and Romauld Stefan Houphouet (right) have been jailed
NCA
The two men were found guilty of multiple sexual offences including rape on Monday, March 3.
The court had been told how their victims were "powerless to prevent the actions of older and more mature individuals determined to exploit them for sexual purposes".
Meanwhile, a third defendant, Jacek Brzozowski, a 35-year-old Polish national - also living in Rotherham - was cleared of the one charge he was facing in the trial of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
However, Brzozowski admitted a charge of penetrative sexual activity with a child earlier this year.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the victims had been raped "countless" times, with one victim reporting being raped two to three times a week by Sigiyo, and once waking up to find him attempting to rape her.
In her victim impact statement, one of the survivors, who has lifelong anonymity, said: "Between 12th October 2011 and 14 July 2012, I was raped and seriously sexually assaulted on multiple occasions by Houphouet and Sigiyo in Rotherham, three found guilty.
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The two men were found guilty of multiple sexual offences including rape on Monday, March 3
GOOGLE STREET VIEW"This witness statement contains very personal thoughts and upsetting recollections about how sexual assaults have impacted on life, family and friends.
"I was raped when I was a vulnerable child aged 15. I was living under supervision of social services. I felt I couldn't tell my mum as she was vulnerable and I didn't want to burden her with my problems. I was frightened, scared and alone. I carried these horrible memories alone.
"I was 21 years old, six or seven years after being raped, when I felt I could report these crimes to the police. I was very sad all the time and overwhelmed by guilt. I didn't think anyone would believe me.
"Through the early stages of the investigation, I was in fear and paranoid of being found by those who sexually assaulted me. We lived in a very small community and it seemed almost inevitable this would happed. I suffered from chronic anxiety and depression as a result."
The victim added that she was employed as a packer in a warehouse and worked hard to forget what happened to her, but said her anxiety was so acute, she was released by her employer.
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"It was another nail in coffin for me," she said in her statement, and added: "In 2020 I just couldn't cope any longer and after a lot of soul searching I moved away from the area and my family. I needed some peace in my life. I didn't tell anyone in my family about the crimes committed against me. Even know my mum doesn't know.
"As a result of moving so far away from home I miss comfort and warmth of family network, I miss my mum so much and it upsets me a lot. I'm in a relationship but it is very difficult under the circumstances. At the beginning of the relationship I had huge trust issues and trouble understanding if my partner really loved me.
"I experienced nightmares of being abused, even 14 years later my partner has witnesses me talking in my sleep about the abuse and trying to defend myself. I don't blame myself anymore, I know when I was a vulnerable child I was targeted and raped and it was not my fault.
"I have flashbacks and break down in tears when I am watching TV if I see a vulnerable person or victim of sexual assault. I'm desperately trying to have a baby with my partner but we are struggling and I attribute this to the sexual assaults against me.
"I realise what these men did to me will always be part of my life but I must fight on and get better. Even though the trial has resulted in guilty verdicts, it can never make up for what they took from me."
The other survivor, who too has lifelong anonymity, said in her victim impact statement that she waited 10 years to get justice, and added that her life has been on hold for years.
She said: "I was 15 years of age when I was living in the children's home and thought we were in control and knew what we were doing. Now I realise just how naive and stupid we really were. For years I blamed myself for what happened, thinking it was my fault for being exploited, abused and just treated like pieces of meat.
"They would push drink to our mouths to make sure we were drunk just so they could sexually abuse us. Thinking about it makes me feel sick and for years I suffered with nightmares. For years I have struggled wit anxiety and I cannot stand the smell of cider or other drinks that remind me of them.
"My new baby us a distraction but having a daughter makes me worry about the future and how to keep her safe. Even to this day I have difficulty trusting men and even with my long term partner he doesn't understand what I have gone through. It has affected me in other ways such as holding down jobs.
"I haven't been able to feel settled or safe, I moved [out of the area] and feel safer here. I would not feel safe in Manchester or Rotherham. I feel relieved that the trial is now over and I can in some ways move on with my life but I will never be able to forget what happened to me and I worry about my future."
The defence, on behalf of Houphouet, said that he was 23 and 24 years old at the time of the offences.
They told the court how he lost his father at the age of five, his mother came to country when he was a teenager, and he was left in the care of his grandparents.
It was added that since that time he has studied and worked continuously, including cleaning and labouring jobs, and undertook an electricians' training course.
In Sigiyo's defence, it was said that he was 28 and 29 years old at the time of the offending.
Sentencing Judge Sarah Wright, addressed Houphouet and Sigiyo in the dock, and said: "You have each been found guilty involving exploitation and abuse of young girls in Rotherham area in 2011 and 2012. The victims were living in children's homes when they met you.
"They did not come from a stable or protective background, and so were extremely vulnerable to those who set out to exploit them. [One victim] had been previously abused in a foster home and moved between various foster placements before being placed in the home. [Another victim] had also lived in a variety of placements.
"They distrusted authority and [one victim] said that she felt she was not well treated or looked after. She felt angry and let down and described that when she had previously spoken up, she had not been believed and was bullied at school. Aged 15, she would frequently leave the home and stay out beyond curfew.
"The girls were frequently reported missing. They dealt with their issues by drinking alcohol to excess. Known as underage by shopkeepers in the local vicinity they therefore would frequent Rotherham town centre where they could more easily purchase alcohol.
"They had no sense of protecting themselves and I am quite sure you, Houphouet and in due course, Sigiyo targeted them because of it. I am satisfied that within a short space of time you both knew full well that they were children, that they lived in a children’s home, were unhappy in that home and that they were vulnerable to the attentions of men like you.
"The complainants in this case were groomed, coerced and to some extent intimidated. They were given alcohol and cigarettes and each of them was given attention and lured into a way of life that was highly damaging for them. Each of them was groomed.
"Each of them lacked personal confidence in appearance - and association with you gave them a feeling of excitement away from the restrictions of their care home. They thought they were in control, but in fact, they were naive and vulnerable and you both exploited that to the full."
Wright added that she commends the courage of the complainants - and said that they showed immeasurable bravery and strength of character to give evidence and relive traumatic experiences in an open and public forum.
She added: "Each has shown bravery beyond measure in speaking about intimate and traumatic experiences. The childhood and adolescence of each of these complainants can never be regained, they have each suffered severe psychological harm and will continue to suffer through their lives as a result of your actions.
"You referred to them as fresh meat - which was particularly degrading. You soon became aware the girls were only 15 and lived in a children's home, but you did not care.
"The grooming involved a degree of planning and each of the victims has suffered a considerable degree of harm. The victims were vulnerable. All of the offences involved grooming.
"The offences were well-planned, you can have been in no doubt that the complainants were vulnerable in the extreme. You were clearly not immature, evidenced by the fact you both indulged in cynical manipulation and exploitation of your victims."
NCA Senior investigating officer Kath Blain said it was one of the most harrowing cases he had ever investigated.
He added: "Sigiyo and Houphouet lured two vulnerable girls to parties where they kept the children intoxicated so they could abuse them in the worst ways."
The convictions are the latest following the NCA's Operation Stovewood investigation, which has identified more than 1,100 victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
It was established after the landmark Jay Report, which found that hundreds of girls had been abused by gangs of men of mainly Pakistani heritage in the town.
Martin McRobb, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "The victims in this case are now adults, but they have had to live with the trauma caused by the vile and serious sexual offences committed against them in their youth.
"We know it can be difficult to talk about such abuse, and I would like to extend my thanks to the victims for the courage and fortitude they showed in coming forward and giving evidence against these men."
