Rotherham drug gang found guilty of murder, rape and grievous bodily harm over £300 drug debt

Six gang members have been found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court of inflicting sustained violence on two men, in a prolonged and vicious assault at an address in Rotherham.

One man died as a result of the violence. Another man was severely beaten but survived.

The second man was found, badly injured, in Rotherham city centre on 18 September 2022.

The following day, the dead man’s naked body was discovered in a sleeping bag in the living room of a house in Rotherham.

Both men had been detained in the cellar. The motive for the violence was linked to drug dealing.  The defendant Arbab Yusuf used this address as a base for his Class A drug dealing business.

Drug addicts visited that address to buy their drugs, and the two victims were blamed for £300 of drugs money going missing.

The two men were attacked because the drug dealers believed they had stolen the money, and the gang wanted to send out a message that they should not be crossed.

The first victim’s post-mortem revealed that he had sustained 214 areas of injury.  Most of the injuries had been caused by blunt force trauma - stabs, kicks and punches.

A violent blow to his head had caused a serious brain injury. Medical experts stated that this injury, together with considerable blood loss had led to his death.

The surviving victim told police that he had called at the house in the early hours of the morning to buy drugs, and four of the defendants had grabbed him and taken him to the basement.

He was tied to a chair and tortured for five hours, including being beaten with a hammer and hit with bottles. Boiling water was poured over him.

The first victim was also brought down to the basement and beaten repeatedly. The two men were forced to perform a sex act on each other.

When Muhammed Ashraf’s phone was recovered, two ten second video clips of this act were discovered on his phone.

Claire Macdonald said: “This case involves very serious violence and humiliation being used towards these two men. The prosecution say they were both tortured.

“The level and extent of the violence inflicted was utterly horrific.  One of the victims did not survive, and the second was badly injured.

“The motive for the attack appeared to be a £300 drug debt. It is absolutely tragic that one man has lost his life and another suffered appalling injuries as a result of the brutal vengeance inflicted by this gang. They are now facing considerable prison sentences. Our thoughts remain with the families of both victims.”

A seventh defendant was found not guilty of assisting an offender.

They will be sentenced on 24 July 2023.