Four men and a woman who preyed on teenage girls in north Wales have been jailed for their roles in a grooming gang.
The victims of the group were aged 14, 15 and 16 at the time of the abuse in the seaside town of Rhyl, Denbighshire.
The ringleader of the gang Mustafa Iqbal was jailed for 35 years after being convicted of 21 offences, including four rapes and three of sexual assault involving all three of the girls.
Three other men and a woman were also jailed for their roles.
It followed one of the most complex investigations carried out by North Wales Police into sexual exploitation, much of it in secret with the offenders unaware the case was being built against them.
In August 2025 during a series of co-ordinated police raids across Rhyl, the men involved were arrested.
During a trial, jurors heard how a popular coffee house was used for the men to meet each other, with the girls approached on the street.
They were then given cannabis, and asked to play a game of “spin the bottle” before being abused.
“This investigation was really complex,” explained Det Ch Insp Richard Sidney, the man leading the inquiry.
“First of all we had the challenges of getting the accounts from the victims, they were really difficult accounts to give.
“They had to show real strength in doing that.”