UK court finds five guilty of more than 40 offences involving the exploitation and abuse of three teenage girls over a two-year period
A UK court has convicted five people, including an Indian-origin man, following a major investigation into child sexual exploitation in North Wales, marking a significant milestone in a case involving the abuse of three vulnerable teenage girls.
Jaswinder Singh, 61, was found guilty at Caernarfon Crown Court of two counts of conspiracy to traffic and one count of supplying cannabis after a three-month trial. Four co-accused were also convicted of a range of offences, including rape, sexual assault, child sexual exploitation, modern slavery-related crimes, drug supply and attempting to obstruct justice. Together, the group was found guilty of more than 40 offences.
According to North Wales Police, the offences took place between April 2022 and March 2024 in Rhyl and surrounding areas of Denbighshire. The victims, aged between 14 and 16 at the time, were subjected to sustained exploitation in cars, residential properties and business premises. The investigation was carried out under Operations Embank and Zirconium, which targeted organised child exploitation and human trafficking.
-
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Sidney described the victims as vulnerable children who had been manipulated and controlled by adults for their own gain
-
He said the verdicts represented an important step towards accountability, while acknowledging that no court outcome could erase the lasting trauma suffered by the victims
-
He also said the convictions should serve as a warning that those involved in grooming and exploiting children would be relentlessly pursued
Singh and three male co-defendants have been remanded in custody pending sentencing, while the fifth defendant was granted bail. Sentencing is scheduled to take place at Caernarfon Crown Court on 25 September. The defendants had denied the charges throughout the trial.
