TWELVE men who raped or sexually abused a vulnerable Keighley schoolgirl will be sentenced at Bradford Crown Court today.

This morning, the court has been hearing mitigating statements from some of those convicted and the sentencings may now be given on Monday.

Ten of the rapists were found guilty in December when the judge described some of those convicted as "insolent, arrogant and disrespectful".

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC said their behaviour throughout the trial was the worst he had seen in 40 years of legal practice.

He told them they had "quite frankly treated these proceedings with a certain amount of contempt and arrogance".

Another man had already pleaded guilty to five charges of rape, and a 63-year-old cab driver was convicted of sexual activity with the girl, when he was 59 and she 14, in his car.

The offences occurred between May 2011 and June 2012 and relate to a girl who was between 13 and 14 at the time.

The trial was told by prosecutor Michelle Colborne QC that the victim was now 18 and had left the area.

She grew up in Keighley and her parents divorced. She was reserved with low self esteem, unkempt with poor personal hygiene and mocked by other children because she was "smelly".

She began truanting when she was 12 and was vulnerable and unhappy.

The girl was reported missing 71 times between 2010 and 2012 and was a loner who was constantly on her phone.

"This was not a happy child. She was desperate to belong," Ms Colborne said.

The 12 men are expected to be sentenced in groups at the court today.

Khalid Raja Mahmood, 34, of Ashfield Prison, South Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty to two charges of rape and three charges of sexual activity with a child before the trial date.

He raped the girl at Cliffe Castle woods and flats in Keighley. The sexual activity charges related to Turtle Rock near Riddlesden, The Factory Shop car park in Keighley town centre and at an archway over the railway line in the middle of the town.

Four men were found guilty of raping the girl at an underground car park.

Yasser Kabir, 25, of Belgrave Road, Keighley, was found guilty of three charges of rape.

Kabir’s half brother, Tauqeer Hussain, known as Toki, 23, of Belgrave Road, Keighley, was found guilty of three charges of raping two victims.

Sufyan Ziarab, known as Sufy, 23, of Kendal Mellor Court, Keighley, was convicted of two charges of rape.

His brother, Bilal Ziarab, also known as Billy or Browny, 21, of Sedgwick Close, Manningham, Bradford, was also found guilty on two rape charges.

Israr Ali (Sari) 19, of Devonshire Street West, Keighley, was found to have raped the girl at Burgess Fields in Keighley.

The jury found a further five men guilty of one count of rape each during an incident at Dalton Lane, Keighley, where they lined up for sex with the girl.

These were Nazir Khan, known as Khany, 24, of Buxton Street, Keighley; his brother, Faisal Khan, (Buller) 27, of Buxton Street, Keighley; Hussain Sardar (Dolly) 19, of Bradford Street, Lawkholme, Keighley; Saqib Younis (Saqi Butcher) 29, of Bradford Street, Lawkholme, Keighley and Zain Ali (Droopy) 20, of Buxton Street, Keighley.

Taxi driver Mohammed Akram, of Holker Street, Keighley, was found guilty of sexual activity with the girl.

Speaking after the verdicts were returned, the head of the Complex Casework Unit at the Crown Prosecution Service in Yorkshire and Humberside, Peter Mann, said: "These 12 men are responsible for a wide range of crimes involving child sexual exploitation and abuse.

"Their victims were young, naïve and vulnerable, and were deliberately targeted: one victim was systematically groomed; threatened, exploited and raped.

"A second victim was also threatened and raped by Tauqeer Hussain.

"These victims have shown immense courage and bravery in reporting these matters to the police and in providing evidence to enable us to bring a strong prosecution case.

"The jury have seen through the lies the defendants told in an effort to escape justice. This case sends out a very strong message to all those who may be hesitating about coming forward to report matters such as these. We will not tolerate this type abuse on our streets or in our communities. We will bring dangerous criminals who carry out acts of sexual violence against girls to justice."