Rotherham grooming gang jailed for raping vulnerable girls from care homes over ten years ago after probe re-opened

Three men who organised parties at which they got children drunk and then abused them have been convicted of a series of sexual offences, following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

Romauld Stefan Houphouet, 37, an Ivoirian national of Sheffield, and Absolom Sigiyo, 42, a Zimbabwean national of Rotherham were found guilty of raping two 15-year-old girls countless times between 2011 and 2012.

Sigiyo was also found guilty of intimidating one of the victims when he pressured her in an attempt to stop her supporting the NCA investigation launched in 2018.

Jacek Brzozwski, 35, a Polish national of Rotherham, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with one of the girls.

The victims told investigators they were taken to numerous parties in Rotherham where they were given alcohol and abused by the men, some of whom openly referred to them as “fresh meat”.

The abuse began within minutes of the victims’ first encounter with Houphouet in 2011. Then aged 24, Houphouet, approached the girls in Rotherham Town Centre and invited them to a party. He asked to speak alone with one of the girls and took her into an alleyway, where he raped her.

After the attack, Houphouet took the girls to a house party at Sigiyo’s home where there were a number of men, including Sigiyo and Brzozwski. The girls endured a year of sexual abuse in this location and at a second property Sigiyo later lived at.

One victim recalled how Houphouet asked her to perform a lap dance for him at the first party. She and her friend were given alcohol, after which she was sick in the bathroom. When she came out of the room, Houphouet took her into a bedroom and raped her for the second time that evening.

From this day on, the men regularly found the girls in the town centre and pressured them to go to Sigiyo’s home.

The victims described having chaotic lives and living in a care home from which they wanted to escape. Both men took advantage of the girls’ vulnerability, grooming and exploiting them. Sigiyo paid for taxis to his place and gave them cigarettes and alcohol. Once the girls had accepted these offerings, Sigiyo and Houphouet demanded the girls give them sex in return.

Sigiyo and Houphouet raped the girls multiple times. The second victim described being raped two to three times a week by Sigiyo, and on one occasion woke up to find him attempting to rape her.

The first victim told NCA investigators how Houphouet was possessive of her. She related how on one occasion Houphouet verbally abused and raped her in an act of revenge, after finding Brzozwski – his lodger – having sex with her at one of the parties.

The girl was also raped by Sigiyo.

Specially trained officers from Operation Stovewood – the NCA’s investigation into historic allegations of sexual abuse in Rotherham – contacted the women, who are both now in their 20s, after identifying they were potentially victims. The women subsequently told officers about the abuse.

While under investigation for rape, Sigiyo approached one of the women on the street and pressured her to tell police he was innocent. But the woman instead reported what he had done, and NCA officers further arrested Sigiyo on suspicion of intimidation. Sigiyo was charged with this and numerous sexual offences and Houphouet and Brzozwski were charged with sexual offences in November 2022.

Senior Investigating Officer Kath Blain said: “This is one of the most harrowing cases I have investigated. Sigiyo and Houphouet lured two vulnerable girls to parties where they kept the children intoxicated so they could abuse them in the worst ways.

“Brzozwski contributed to their suffering, including by having sex with one of the girls who he knew was a child and vulnerable.

“The victims have shown extraordinary bravery in reporting their abuse. What happened to them can never be undone, but I hope the verdicts today will at least give them a sense that their abusers have been held to account and justice has been done.

“The National Crime Agency continues to pursue justice for numerous other people who we have identified were abused as children. I really encourage anyone who was abused as a child to report it to the police.”

Sexual abuse can be reported to police in person or by calling 101. Police officers specially trained to investigate such cases are ready and waiting to help victims.

Martin McRobb, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “These defendants preyed on vulnerable young girls who they knew they could groom with alcohol and gifts with the sole aim of repeatedly sexually exploiting them.

“The victims in this case are now adults but they have had to live with the trauma caused by the vile and serious sexual offences committed against them in their youth.

“We know it can be difficult to talk about such abuse, and I would like to extend my thanks to the victims for the courage and fortitude they showed in coming forward and giving evidence against these men.

“The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners to support all victims of child sexual abuse as we relentlessly pursue justice on their behalf.”

Houphouet and Sigiyo are due to be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on 5 March. Brzozwski will be sentenced on 14 April at the same court.

The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. NCA officers have identified more than 1,100 victims, and to date 42 people – including Sigiyo, Houphouet and Brzozwski - have been convicted. A number of active investigations remain ongoing.