Rochdale man sought after ten convicted of child abuse offences

Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain was investigated as part of Operation Doublet, an inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rochdale

A man from Rochdale who raped a teenage girl could be in Pakistan, Greater Manchester Police have said.

Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain, 38, was convicted along with nine others who committed serious sexual offences against young girls in the town.

Hussain, of Mayfield Terrace was given permission to attend a family funeral in the UK when he went on the run.

He was found guilty in his absence of sexual activity with a child, rape and conspiracy to rape.

The men were investigated as part of Operation Doublet, an inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rochdale.

'Horrendous crimes'

Most of the offences took place between 2004 and 2008. The victims were aged 13 to 23.

A teenage girl, raped by all 10 men, contacted police after the 2012 convictions of nine Asian defendants for grooming white girls in the town.

She said "hundreds" of older men would ring her up wanting sex and she had been groomed from the age of 14.

Det Ch Insp Jamie Daniels said Hussain "seems determined to try and get away with not serving his time for the horrendous crimes that he has committed".

"We believe he may be in Pakistan but we are still determined to find him and ensure that he is held to account for what he did."

Anybody with information should contact police or Crimestoppers.