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A gang of men has been convicted of a catalogue of offences including rape and sexual assault after they preyed on vulnerable young girls.

In a case described as "simply shocking" by police, members of the group befriended the girls, plied them with alcohol, then took them to "parties" where they were often used for sex.

In all there were 26 victims - one aged as young as 13.

The nine men convicted in three seperate trials this year were caught following an undercover investigation by , dubbed Operation Retriever.

Two ringleaders were convicted of sex crimes at the end of the third trial today, when reporting restrictions were lifted.

Abid Mohammed Saddique, 27, and Mohammed Romaan Liaqat, 28 - both married with children - were said to have targeted mostly schoolgirls, some estranged from their families and homes.

The court heard Saddique or Liaqat embarked on a "campaign of calls and texts", then plied them with cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and "sometimes a ride in a flash or sporty car".

Once they met up, the girls were forced to have sex with, or perform sex acts on, various people, Leicester Crown Court heard.

At the opening of the first trial at Nottingham Crown Court, prosecutor Yvonne Coen QC said: "They exploited these girls either for their own sexual satisfaction or for their friends."

One of the girls was raped in June 2008, when she was 16.

She knew one of the men who called her asking to meet up and, after being taken to a petrol station to buy alcohol, she was driven to an isolated spot where one of the men raped her, jurors were told.

Another of the victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "They first approached me during one afternoon and took me to a park. Even in the beginning I thought they were scary but I was insecure and lonely."

A total of 13 men were charged and 11 stood trial for a string of charges. Five of the men were convicted of sexual offences.

Saddique, of Northumberland Street, Normanton, Derby, was convicted of charges including four counts of rape, two of sexual assault, three charges of sexual activity with a child, and aiding and abetting rape.

Liaqat, of Briar Lea Close, Sinfin, Derby, was found guilty of one count of rape, two of sexual assault, aiding and abetting rape, affray, and four counts of sexual activity with a child.

Both pleaded guilty to causing a person under 18 to be involved in pornography. They will be sentenced on January 7.

Earlier, Mohammed Imran Rehman, 26 of Leacroft Road, Derby, was found guilty of rape, Akshay Kumar, 38, of Portland Street, Derby, pleaded guilty to one count of causing a person under 18 to be involved in pornography, and Faisal Mehmood, 24, of Dashwood Street, Derby, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child.

Det Supt Debbie Platt, from Derbyshire Police, said the men used "classic grooming" techniques in cruising around city streets in cars and pulling up by the side of young girls.

"Most of the girls who became victims were in their early teens and were from difficult backgrounds," she said.

"The girls were looking for love and support and they believed the perpetrators of these vile crimes would give them what they craved.

"Instead they were raped, abused and intimidated."