THREE men were jailed for a total of 28 years after abucting a 13-year-old girl and forcing her to become their sex slave in Ipswich.

East Anglian Daily Times: Suran UddinSuran Uddin

Suran Uddin, 28, of St Matthew’s Row, Bethnal Green, London was jailed for 15 years at Norwich Crown Court. Mohammed Sheikh, 31, of Seaton Point in Hackney, London received eight years’ imprisonment, while Hamza Ali, 38, of Chilford Road, Waltham Forest, London was given a five-year jail term.

East Anglian Daily Times: Hamza AliHamza Ali

All three men had denied various sex offences during a three-week trial in February.

The girl, from a “troubled” family, was subjected to a string of assaults over four days in a house in Chevallier Street, Ipswich, after being trafficked from London, in July last year.

Uddin, Sheikh and Ali were all found guilty of conspiracy to traffic in the UK and supplying a class B drug to the victim.

Uddin was also convicted of two counts of rape.

Sheikh was convicted on a charge of causing a child to engage in sexual activity but was cleared of two counts of rape.

Ali was found guilty of a sexual assault but not guilty of rape.

After their sentencings Detective Inspector Tonya Antonis, of Suffolk Constabulary’s public protection unit, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of the trial. This has been a very difficult time for a very troubled young victim who suffered terrible abuse at the hands of these men. We hope this sends out a message to all those who commit such crimes that we will deal robustly.

“Such offences remain a priority for Suffolk Constabulary, we work very closely with our partner agencies to support victims and bring those responsible to justice.”

During the trial, Riel Karmy-Jones told jurors: “These men deliberately targeted her.

“She was an unhappy and deeply troubled child. They enticed her to travel with them in order to set her up as a sex slave and to use her for their pleasure.

“In order to do so, they plied her with drugs and alcohol and made promises that they would take care of her and give her anything she wanted.”

Abdul Hammed, 46, of Wellington Street, Ipswich, was cleared of supplying a class B drug and two counts of rape.

The judge had earlier instructed the jury to find him not guilty of trafficking.