Imam says race card 'unhelpful' in grooming case

Nine men convicted of sexually exploiting vulnerable girls in Greater Manchester have been given prison sentences ranging from four to nineteen years.

The court heard the men passed the girls between them for sex, and threatened them with violence if they refused.

The case, which involved white victims and mainly British Pakistani perpetrators, led to demonstrations by far-right groups, but the police said that race was not an issue in the crimes.

Imam Irfan Chishti from the Rochdale Council of Mosques said discussing the "race card" was ''unhelpful''.