Three brothers, Joman Miah & Amran Miah & Alman Miah, who used adolescent females for sexual purposes have been labelled as paedophile predators, having operated “in plain sight,” and have each received lengthy prison sentences.
Shaha Amran Miah, 49, Shaha Alman Miah, 47, and Shaha Joman Miah, 38, were found guilty in a trial last October of over 60 offences against five girls aged between six and 15, as reported by Preston Crown Court.
The identities of the victims from Leeds, West Yorkshire, and Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, remain unascertained.
Eleven jurors reconvened in court, four months post-trial, to observe the sentencing of all three defendants by Judge Ian Unsworth KC.
Joman Miah received a life sentence with a minimum duration of 22 years for 40 crimes.
Amran Miah received a life sentence with a minimum of 22 years for 16 charges, while Alman Miah was sentenced to 10 years with an additional four years on license post-release for three offences.
Victims of the Joman Miah & Amran Miah & Alman Miah gasped as two received life sentences, weeping and embracing in the public gallery.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Unsworth stated to the brothers: “I am convinced that each of you behaved in a predatory and paedophilic manner.” You see your victims as instruments to be exploited and mistreated at your will.
You regarded them with complete disdain. You were each cognisant of one another’s sexual inclinations and behaviours at various intervals. The connections binding the three of you are robust and seemingly indestructible. An omertà existed.
“Your actions were depriving children of their childhoods.”
During the trial, prosecutors depicted the brothers as “Team Miah,” prioritising familial devotion over veracity, with each supporting their siblings’ denials and attempting to undermine testimony.
Joman and Amran Miah’s criminal activities commenced with the sexual exploitation of two girls, ages six and seven, in Leeds in 1996, persisting for several years.
The brothers, who have ten other siblings, subsequently targeted adolescent girls upon relocating to Barrow about 2008 to work in a family-owned takeout.
The establishment transformed into a “nexus of criminal activity,” with girls being collected in vehicles while still attired in their school uniforms and transported there, as presented in court.
In the rooms above the business, the youths were supplied with alcohol and narcotics, provided with money and cigarettes, while Joman Miah & Amran Miah & Alman Miah perpetrated sexual assaults on unsanitary beds.
Judge Unsworth stated that in Barrow, the brothers were not “operating covertly but openly,” and each victim was vulnerable, with the brothers assured that if they “reported the misconduct,” they would not be taken seriously.
Joman Miah initiated a relationship with a 14-year-old, manipulating her through the provision of presents, wine, and cigarettes.
Simultaneously, Alman Miah commenced a connection with a 15-year-old female.
Throughout their relationship, the girl was sexually assaulted by his brother, Amran.
In late 2009, the 15-year-old victim was menaced by Amran Miah subsequent to communicating with the authorities.
She was forcibly seized from the street by her hair, thrust into the rear of a vehicle, and warned that she would be killed if she reported the incident to the authorities.
He menaced her family, asserting they would have repercussions from “vehicles filled with individuals” from the Pakistani community arriving in Barrow.
In 2010, Amran Miah threatened a woman scheduled for a police interrogation, stating that her residence would be incinerated. The interview was cancelled due to threats.
Joman Miah, from Doncaster, was convicted of eight charges of indecent assault, four counts of child indecency, eight counts of sexual conduct with a child, five counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, nine counts of child rape, and six counts of child sexual assault.
Amran Miah, from Leeds, was convicted of seven charges of indecent assault, seven counts of child indecency, one act of child rape, one count of kidnapping, two counts of witness intimidation, and one count of sexual assault.
Alman Miah, from Leeds, was convicted of three charges of engaging in sexual contact with a minor.
Judge Unsworth praised officers from Cumbria Police and West Yorkshire Police for their inquiry and granted jurors a lifetime exemption from jury service.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.