Five face child sex offences

Five men will appear in court later today charged with child sex offences in Rochdale.

The accused were among 10 men arrested following a continuing police investigation into child sex exploitation in the town.

Seven victims aged as young as 13 are alleged to have been subjected to a catalogue of sexual offences, between 2005-2013.

The five were charged with offences yesterday and will appear at Bury Magistrates’ Court today.

They are Iklaq Choudhry Hussain, 37, of Mayfield Terrace, Rochdale, charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child and two of rape; Shayfur Rahman (31) of Chapel Road, Prestwich, is charged with one count of rape; Mohammed Davood (37), of Burnley is charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against one victim and three counts of rape, one of sexual activity with a child and one of sexual assault.

Rehan Ali (26), of Cleethorpes Avenue, Blackley, is charged with one count of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child and three of sexual activity with a child he was under17.

Kutab Miah (34), of Ramsay Street, Rochdale, faces three counts of sexual activity and one of rape.

Three more men will appear at Tameside Magistrates’ Court tomorrow. Two more appeared in court last week and were remanded into custody.

So far, 65 people have been held as part of a police operation; and more arrests are expected.