Sexual predator sentenced to long spell behind bars

Fazal Sidiqkhil was jailed for 28 years at Birmingham Crown Court after being found guilty of 31 offences including rape and sexual activity with a child by a jury after a trial lasting five weeks.

The 31-year-old from Alum Rock groomed the boys between 2013 and 2021 by giving them money and, once he had gained their trust, performed sexual acts on them.

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, were assaulted and forced into silence with threats made against their families.

Sidiqkhil had also filmed two of them and the boys said they were terrified the footage would appear online.

West Midlands Police said it came to a head in January last year when one of the boys, still only 15, could bear it no longer and contacted them, with Sidiqkhil being arrested two days later.

A complex investigation began by the Public Protection Unit, and each boy had to recount their harrowing ordeals.

Detective Sergeant Francesca Crossfield said: “I cannot underestimate the bravery and resilience of these young boys in coming forward and reliving what they went through.

"Sidiqkhil denied all the charges so they also had to go through the ordeal of a trial.

“I hope that his conviction and the sentence he has received today gives them some closure, and lets them move on with their lives.

“They can be proud that they have prevented other young boys from being lured into Sidiqkhil’s clutches, as there is no doubt that he would not have stopped.”