A pensioner who repeatedly raped a deaf and mute girl he trafficked into the UK to work as his domestic servant has been jailed for 13 years.

Ilyas Ashar, 84, sexually abused the youngster from the moment he brought her into the UK from Pakistan aged around 10 in June 2000.

The girl, who is profoundly deaf and cannot speak, was beaten and forced to sleep and work in the cellar of Ashar's five-bed family home in Cromwell Road, Eccles in Salford.

While Ashar used his victim to satisfy his sexual desires the girl was also used to steal more than £30,000 in benefits.

For almost a decade the victim had to work for the Ashars, who are understood to have a number of business interests and rental properties.

Though her exact age is not known, Ashar abused the girl from pre-puberty, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Ashar was convicted of 13 counts of rape by a jury last week, though the court heard the rapes happened "many, many times more".

He had also been convicted at an earlier trial of two counts of trafficking a person into the UK for exploitation, two counts of furnishing false information to obtain a benefit and one of permitting furnishing of false information to obtain a benefit.

His wife, Tallat Ashar, 68, was jailed for five years for two counts of trafficking and four counts of furnishing false information.

Their daughter, Faaiza Ashar, 46, was found guilty at an earlier trial of two counts of furnishing false information and one count of permitting furnishing of false information. She was given a 12 month community order.

Passing sentence Judge Peter Lakin said: "You did not treat this girl as a human being.

"To you she was merely an object to be used, abused and cast aside at will."