A gang which preyed on vulnerable young girls will return to the Old Bailey today as they face long prison sentences.

The seven men will be sentenced tomorrow after their barristers put forward arguments in mitigation today.

The Oxford men were last month convicted of “sexual atrocities” against girls as young as 11 after an 18-week trial at the London court.

Their crimes against six victims include rape, arranging child prostitution, serious sexual assault and trafficking for sex.

Judge Peter Rook, who will hand out the sentences tomorrow, told the men last month to expect long jail terms.

He said: “You have been convicted of the most serious offences. Long custodial sentences are inevitable.”

The trial heard the gang targeted girls in care and from troubled backgrounds and gave them attention, gifts, alcohol, and drugs.

The men, now aged between 27 and 38, began pestering the girls for sex and soon were forcing their victims to have sex with other men in exchange for money.

The girls, who were aged between 11 and 15, told the trial they had been scratched, choked, beaten, branded, gang raped, burnt, and sexually assaulted with knives and a baseball bat.

Throughout the trial, the seven men denied any wrong-doing. Some claimed they had never met their victims and some said they believed the girls were over the age of consent.

But the jury convicted seven of the nine defendants of 59 charges after 17 hours and 46 minutes of deliberations.

Two men – 25-year-old Mohammed Hussain, of Horspath Road, and an unnamed defendant – were cleared of all charges.

In the wake of the verdicts on May 14, Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council both apologised to the victims for not stopping the abuse sooner.

An independent review has now been launched to discover why the abuse was not prevented despite reports from the victims as far back as 2006.

Police believe there could be up to 60 victims of the gang and are investigating more than 50 men.

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood, who sat on the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into localised grooming, called for justice to be done.

She said: “Nothing can eradicate the suffering the victims have already endured but it is right that justice should be seen to be done not only for the victims themselves but also as a deterrent to other criminals who might seek to prey on vulnerable children.”

The guilty men

Kamar Jamil – Age: 27. Lived: Aldrich Road, North Oxford. Guilty of: Five rapes, two charges of conspiracy to rape, one of arranging child prostitution.
Akhtar Dogar – Age: 32. Lived: Tawney Street, East Oxford. Guilty of: Five rapes, three charges of conspiracy to rape, two of arranging child prostitution, and trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Anjum Dogar – Age: 31. Lived: Tawney Street, East Oxford. Guilty of: Three rapes, three charges of conspiracy to rape, two of arranging child prostitution, and trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Assad Hussain – Age: 32. Lived: Ashhurst Way, Rose Hill. Cleared of rape but guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child.
Mohammed Karrar – Age: 38. Lived: Kames Close, Cowley. Guilty of: Seven rapes, four charges of conspiracy to rape, two of trafficking for sexual exploitation, two of arranging child prostitution, serious sexual assault, using an instrument to procure a miscarriage, and supplying Class A drug.
Bassam Karrar – Age: 34 Lived: Hundred Acres Close, Cowley. Guilty of: Three rapes, three charges of conspiracy to rape, two charges of arranging child prostitution, and trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Zeeshan Ahmed – Age: 28 Lived: Palmer Road, Wood Farm. Guilty of: Two charges of sexual activity with a child.