Rotherham survivor in court confrontation after grooming gang rapists have sentences REDUCED

They were among seven British-Pakistani defendants sentenced in September for a total of 106 years following a National Crime Agency investigation into the abuse of two schoolgirls from the South Yorkshire town.

Abid Saddiq, 43, was convicted in June of three counts of rape and one of indecent assault.

He was sentenced in September to 24 years imprisonment with a further extended 12-month licence.

Mohammed Siyab 49, was convicted of two counts of rape, one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and one count of trafficking.

He was previously handed down 25 years’ imprisonment, with 12 months on licence.

But following an administrative error, Mr Justice Slater resentenced both men at Sheffield Crown Court.

Saddiq’s sentence was reduced by three years to 21 years, consisting of 20 years’ imprisonment plus 12 months’ extended licence.

Siyab was resentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment, with one year taken off his jail term.

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At the time of the original sentencing, HHJ Slater described Siyab as a “persistent and cruel sexual offender” as he handed down the sentence, which was met with shock in the public gallery.

Saddiq, who had already been sentenced in 2019 for similar offences, was described as a “cunning and determined sexual predator”.

But despite their reduced sentences, GB News understands that both men could spend further time behind bars as they will now have to face a parole board due to the nature of their offending.

Previously, they were liable for automatic release after serving two-thirds of their sentences.

This broadcaster can also reveal that anger over the resentencing sparked a confrontation between one of the survivors from the case and relatives of the perpetrators.

One survivor said that a relative was “dead eyeing” her in the court, staring down at her, which she objected to.

GB News understands that the judge then ordered the relatives to leave the court.

But the fracas continued outside Sheffield Crown Court’s buildings. It is alleged that one relative called on another to “slap the b***h”, referring to one of the survivors.

This sparked a further altercation, with NCA officers and court security separating the groups.

One of the survivors from the case told GB News that the relatives’ behaviour was “disgusting” and an insult.

“Siyab and Saddiq were cruel and appalling rapists, they stole my childhood. Their relatives should have some shame but instead, they are trying to fight with me at court.”

She added that family members staring her down was uncomfortable and that it had happened throughout the trial and during the previous sentencing.

“The real insult though came from the call to slap me. It is beyond unacceptable. It is revolting.”

Maggie Oliver, a whistleblower and campaigner for victims of child sexual exploitation, said: “When you scratch the surface and look at the details of each case, often it shows yet again that the system is broken and that these mistakes are bad enough when they come to light like this but the question is: how many mistakes are made that never come to light?”

She added: “I see it all the time. There are constant errors and anomalies in these cases. The more I learn and the more I see, the more horrified I am about how unreliable our criminal justice system is.

“Almost always the loser is the victim. The mistakes never work in the favour of the survivors.

“The offenders have the whole system fighting their corner whereas the victims are left alone to fight a system that is so heavily stacked against them that the system compounds the damage and the trauma that the abuse itself caused originally.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "Grooming gang rapists should be locked up for life.

"If they’re foreign nationals, they should be immediately deported. It’s really that simple."