Laura Wilson case: the teenager was groomed for sex at 12 and she was stabbed to death at 17

Laura Wilson, a white teenage student stabbed to death and dumped in a canal was groomed for sexual exploitation by adults from the age of 12, it was revealed today during the trial.

Laura Wilson, 17, had been tracked by social services since 2005 after she was identified as being “at risk” of sexual exploitation by British Pakistani men.

But social services’ work focused on other girls who were more closely associated with abusers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Laura Wilson was the victim of a cycle of sexual abuse and little was done to help her, her family has claimed.

Rather than removing Laura Wilson from the situation, social services only carried out “preventative” work to stop her falling into the clutches of abusers.

Laura Wilson was murdered in October 2010 after bringing “shame” on two Asian families.

The teenager had a brief fling with married Ishaq Hussain, now 22, and became pregnant with his child while she was in a sexual relationship with Ashitaq Asghar.

A few days before Laura Wilson was murdered and dumped in the canal she had revealed to the two families that she had had affairs with both men.

After being informed of the relationship, Ashitaq Asghar’s mother apparently hit Laura Wilson with a shoe. The woman said her son would never have a baby with a white girl and called Laura Wilson a “dirty white b****”, and she should “keep her legs closed”.

Laura Wilson had become pregnant just a month after she turned 16 and gave birth to Ishaq Hussain’s child in June last year.

Ashitaq Asghar pleaded guilty to murder in May, while yesterday a Sheffield Crown Court jury cleared 22-year-old Ishaq Hussain of Laura Wilson’s murder after deliberating for nearly 11 hours.

In May 2011, Ashitaq Asghar pleaded guilty to murder Laura Wilson

Prosecutor Nicholas Campbell QC told the trial that Ishaq Hussain and Ashitaq Asghar mounted a “mission to kill” Laura Wilson.

The men adopted the language of the cult British film “Four Lions”, a dark comedy about Islamic terrorists plotting an attack which was filmed in Sheffield and which they had both seen.

Ashitaq Asghar sent a series of texts to Ishaq Hussain using language from the film.

Ashitaq Asghar talked about buying a “shooter” for £400 ($600) and he boasted about bringing his “hit list” out. In fact, said Nicholas Campbell, the murder weapon of choice turned out to be a knife.

In one message, Ashitaq Asghar said to Ishaq Hussain the day before she died which read: “I’m gonna send that kaffir (non-Muslim) b**** straight to hell.”

Nicholas Campbell QC described Laura Wilson as “embracing life with gusto and she was an attractive and popular girl”.

Ishaq Hussain told the jury he did not plot anything with Ashitaq Asghar and there was no plan to kill Laura Wilson.

Simon Csoka, representing Ishaq Hussain, said his client “was an unfaithful philanderer whose attitude to women absolutely stinks…but although he’s guilty of many things, he’s not guilty of murder”.

The Rotherham Safeguarding Children Board has carried out an investigation into Laura Wilson’s death and the findings will be published in around a month.

Chairman Alan Hazell said more could have been done to help the teenager.

“Whilst not wishing to pre-empt that report, it is clear that Laura’s situation was very complex, which made it difficult for agencies to engage with her.

“However, there were times when agencies may have worked differently or more effectively.

“All agencies which had links with Laura have taken part in the review and have already shown a strong commitment to learn any lessons the case has highlighted.

“This commitment has already been reflected in the work done to improve services for children and young people in the borough following challenge from the Government.”

Alan Hazell added that the case had been both “complex and tragic”.

“This was a despicable crime in which a vulnerable young woman was viciously attacked and left for dead,” he said.

“It has left a young child without a mother and we hope that the earlier conviction which has been secured will help her family and friends as they continue to come to terms with what happened.”

Laura Wilson’s links with Risky Business – the town’s child exploitation project – Risky Business, and the fact that the relevant authorities knew she was having under-age sex with Pakistani men did not come up in the murder trial and has never been publicly acknowledged, the Times reported.

Earlier this year an investigation by the Times triggered an assessment of street grooming. The newspaper uncovered a pattern of child-sex offending involving Pakistani men and girls aged 12 to 16.

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