Duo jailed for grooming and sexually exploiting teenage girl

Nation.Cymru staff

Two Cardiff men have been sentenced to sixteen years each in prison after being convicted of grooming and sexually exploiting a vulnerable teenage girl in 2021.

Azad Ahmed, 50, of Grangetown, and Wasee Shikel, 50, of Splott, were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court following a South Wales Police investigation. Both men have also been made subject to lifetime restraining orders in relation to their victim.

Ahmed was found guilty of two counts of rape of a girl aged 13 to 15, one count of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15, and one count of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation.

Shikel was convicted of the same travel and exploitation offence.

In a personal statement read to the court, the victim described the lasting impact of the abuse. “I am a victim, and my voice needs to be heard,” she said. “The words feel inadequate to describe the living hell I endured. My body was not my own — it was a tool for their depravity. They have stripped me of everything that made me human.”

She added that she now lives with constant anxiety and depression as a result of what she suffered.

Detective Chief Inspector Geraint Higgins praised the victim’s courage and used the sentencing to highlight the warning signs of grooming. “Thanks to her bravery, two dangerous predators are now behind bars and unable to harm anyone else,” he said.

DCI Higgins urged the public to be alert to signs that a young person may be being groomed, including unexplained new possessions such as clothes, phones or money, withdrawal from friends and family, going missing for periods of time, and secretive behaviour around devices.

“If you are worried about someone, or are worried you may be a victim of grooming yourself, please reach out and we will take you seriously,” he said. “If you are not comfortable telling police, you can speak to a trusted adult or contact a support charity.”