Two students who cruised Bradford's red light district and horrifically abused two prostitutes are today behind bars.

Maqas Riaz was jailed for four years and nine months and Mohammed Irfan for nine years.

Irfan told one of his victims that he "couldn't stand prostitutes" and threatened there would be vigilante-style "lynches" to rid the streets of them.

Placing them both on the sex offenders' register for life, Honorary Recorder of Bradford Judge Stephen Guillick said they had set out to "degrade them, humiliate them and terrify them".

Bradford Crown Court was told that the women, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were friends.

Prosecutor Patrick Palmer said Riaz and Irfan approached the first woman at around 2am in January last year, but she would not get in a car with two men.

Riaz later returned alone and the woman agreed to go with him, but Irfan was lurking round a corner and jumped in the back seat with her and they drove off.

The terrified woman tried to phone the police and get out of the car, but Irfan grabbed her by the hair and smashed her head against the window, then threatened her with a knife.

Riaz got in the back and the woman was sexually assaulted before being blindfolded, tied up and dumped in a field.

Hours later the pair, both students at Bradford University, preyed on their next victim. Irfan and Riaz pulled up in the car but the woman could see the knife blade and tried to get away. She was forced into the car and driven to Great Horton Lane.

Mr Palmer said Riaz demanded money and Irfan threatened her with the knife.

She tried to escape but was pulled back by Irfan, who slashed her jacket and raped her.

A few weeks later Riaz again went looking for prostitutes with another man, Waseem Choudhary. They both indecently assaulted a third woman. The three men were arrested in February last year when the police saw them driving around together. At first they denied any involvement but pleaded guilty before their trial last year.

Irfan, 23, of Rugby Place, Lidget Green, admitted charges of rape, assault and two charges of indecent assault.

Riaz, 24, of Nottingham, admitted two charges of indecent assault, robbery and attempted robbery. Choudhary, 19, of Kirkham Road, Great Horton, admitted indecent assault, and was sent to a young offender institution for a year and put on the sex offenders' register.

Balbir Singh, for Irfan, pointed out that the women would have been willing to have sex with them for money, but Judge Gullick said that prostitutes were still entitled to be protected by the law. "That does not provide anyone with a reason or excuse to attack them or terrify them. This was clearly the abuse and humiliation of prostitutes," he said.