Rochdale

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Police and prosecutors have commended victims of sexual exploitation at the hands of 10 men for their courage and bravery in coming forward.

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The main victim of sexual grooming carried out by 10 men in Rochdale reported it to police after watching TV reports of a trial in 2012.

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Ten men have been jailed for more than 125 years for sexual offences against a vulnerable teenager in Rochdale that spanned five years.

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Jalal Uddin was found with head injuries in a children's play area Credit: Police handout

A man has been charged with the murder of an imam found with fatal head injuries in Rochdale.

Jalal Uddin was found with serious injuries in a child's play area in the town, within Greater Manchester.

The 64-year-old was taken to hospital but died a short time later.

Mohammed Hussain Syeedy, 21, of Ramsay Street, Rochdale, has been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder, Greater Manchester Police said.

He will appear at Bury Magistrates Court on Monday.

A 17-year-old boy previously arrested on suspicion of murder is on bail until April 20.

Son of 'murdered' imam pays tribute to his father

Jalal Uddin was attacked while walking home from a mosque in Rochdale. Credit: Peter Byrne / PA Wire/PA Images

A man arrested after an Imam was brutally attacked while walking home from a mosque, has been released by murder squad detectives.

Jalal Uddin died in hospital from serious head injuries after being assaulted in a children's playground in Rochdale on Thursday night.

A 31-year-old man arrested on Friday on suspicion of murder has now been released without charge and eliminated from police inquiries.

Detectives say a racist motive for the murder has not been ruled out but they are keeping an "open mind".

Following extensive analysis of CCTV in the area, we now know that Jalal walked into the park from the South Street entrance at 8.41pm. He was then found injured seven minutes later by a passing member of the public.

– Detective Chief Inspector, Terry Crompton

Local religious leaders have called for calm, asked police be allowed to do their work and for locals not to speculate what prompted the attack.

An imam has died after being found seriously injured in a children's playground, having attended evening prayers at a mosque in Rochdale.

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The power is down to around 10,000 homes. Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Around 10,000 homes in Rochdale and Lancashire have lost their electricity supply after flood waters hit a main substation, the Press Association has reported.

Electricity North West said extra engineers have been on standby and teams are working to repair the damage.

We're continuing to work hard in extremely difficult conditions to restore supplies to as many people as we can as quickly as possible, but severe flooding has caused damage to local substations in Rochdale and Lancashire.

We have drafted in extra engineers and will continue to work throughout the day to get everyone back on and we are here 24 hours a day seven days a week so please contact us if you need any advice or information.

– Mark Williamson, operations director for Electricity North West

Homes evacuated as river bursts its banks after heavy rain causes flooding in Scotland