UK court sentences 3 to prison for teenage sex abuse

LONDON – A British court has sentenced three brothers to decades in prison for raping and abusing teenage girls in the northern city of Rotherham.

Arshid Hussain, 40, the alleged ringleader of the group, received 35 years. His brother Basharat, 38, got 25 years while the third brother, Bannaras, 36, received 19 years. Other accomplices also received hefty sentences.

Twelve women, most of who are now in their 30s, testified that they were sexually, physically and emotionally abused.

The convictions follow a report in August 2014 by social worker Alexis Jay that some 1,400 children were exploited in Rotherham during a 16-year period — a revelation that shocked Britain.

The report described child sex abuse by multiple perpetrators, mainly from Britain's Pakistani community.