Former Labour deputy leader of Rotherham Council accused of rape

The former Labour deputy leader of Rotherham Council has been accused of rape by one of the victims giving evidence against three brothers who have now been convicted of child sex offences.

Jahangir Akhtar - a relative of Arshid, Basharat and Bannaras Hussain who have all received prison sentences for grooming, pimping and trafficking young girls - has been accused of rape by one victim and possibly two others.

Akhtar was vice chairman of the South Yorkshire Police & Crime Panel but resigned after the Times published details of him doing a deal to avoid Arshid Hussain being prosecuted if he handed a missing girl to police at a petrol station.

Investigations into allegations of sexual abuse of children in Rotherham by Pakistani men have found evidence of decades of abuse allowed to continue because police, councillors and social services were scared of being accused of racism. Despite evidence of social services and the police failing to carry out their statutory duty of care, not one social worker or police officer has been prosecuted for their part in knowingly allowing child sex trafficking and paedophile gangs to operate in Rotherham with impunity.

Akhtar lost his seat to UKIP in the local elections last year. He denies the allegations.