Pakistan extradites child-sex offender who fled UK trial

Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain was part of a gang that exploited teenage girls in a northern English town

A convicted child-sex offender was extradited by authorities in Pakistan to the United Kingdom on Tuesday.

Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain, who was part of a gang that exploited teenage girls in a northern English town, was arrested from Punjab on January 26, 2020.

A press release by the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the convict had fled while under trial in 2015. The trial “was part of a series launched under the umbrella of Operation Doublet; a large scale police investigation formed in 2012 to investigate reports of historic child sexual exploitation between 2003 and 2013, predominantly in the Rochdale area of Greater Manchester".

UK child rapist 'flees to Pakistan' during trial

In April 2016 at the Minshull Street Crown Court, Hussain was sentenced in absentia to 19 years imprisonment after being found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of rape and one count of conspiracy to rape.

Commending Pakistani authorities for the swift response, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner said: “This is down to the hard work and excellent collaboration between Pakistan and UK authorities, including the Federal Investigation Agency, the Punjab Police, Greater Manchester Police, and teams at the British High Commission in Islamabad.”

“This latest example of close co-operation between the UK’s and Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies shows there is no escape for those who flee from the law, even across international boundaries," he continued. “Choudhry Ikhalaq Hussain will finally face jail for his terrible crimes.”

"Hussain is a sexual predator who mistakenly thought he could flee to another country to live the good life, while his victim was forced to deal with the consequences of his vile actions and robbed of justice,” said Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Doublet Detective Superintendent Jamie Daniels.

“His apprehension demonstrates that when it comes to pursuing perpetrators of child sexual exploitation, we will hunt them across the globe if necessary.”

Daniels added the extradition was an overwhelmingly positive result for the police as well as UK’s National Crime Agency, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British High Commission in Pakistan and the Pakistani authorities.



He said Pakistani authorities “worked in partnership with us for a number of years in order to catch Hussain and bring him back to the UK”.

Daniels also commended the bravery and courage of Hussain’s victim, who was subjected to the most horrific abuse. “For her sake above all, we have always remained determined to catch Hussain - regardless of how much time passed or distance he travelled; and I do hope this extradition provides her with a measure of comfort as she can continues to rebuild her life.”

The convict and the crime

The 41-year-old was part of a group of men of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Afghan origin who were jailed for abusing dozens of girls following an investigation centred on the town of Rochdale near Manchester.

The men groomed the girls with gifts and plied them with alcohol and drugs before forcing them to have sex with others.

(With additional input from Reuters.)