Sex gang plied girls with drink and drugs claim

AN OLDHAM man is among a group of 11 defendants accused of plying girls as young as 13 with drink and drugs so they could use them for sex.

The five girls — aged between 13 and 15 when the alleged abuse began — were passed around by the men “who acted together to sexually exploit the girls”, a trial at Liverpool Crown Court was told. All the girls were from broken homes and one was in care.

The court heard that some of the girls were raped and physically assaulted and some were forced to have sex with “several men in a day, several times a week”.

The offences are said to have happened in and around Rochdale in 2008 and 2009.

The court was told that some of the defendants paid the girls and took payments from other men to whom they supplied the girls for sex.

One 13–year–old victim fell pregnant to one of the defendants and had the child aborted.

Kabeer Hassan (24), of Lacrosse Avenue, Oldham, is charged with conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children under the age of 16 and rape.

Rochdale men Abdul Aziz (41), of Armstrong Hurst Close, Abdul Rauf (43), of Darley Road, Mohammed Sajid (35), of Jepheys Street, Adil Khan (42), of Oswald Street, Abdul Qayyum (43), of Ramsay Street, Mohammed Amin (44), of Falinge Road, Qamar Shahzad (29), of Tweedale Street, Liaquat Shah (41), of Kensington Street and Hamid Safi (22), also of Kensington Street are also charged with conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children under the age of 16 along with various related charges.

They have all pleaded not guilty, along with a 59–year–old man who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Rachel Smith, prosecuting, said the girls were given alcohol, food and money in return for sex but that there were times when violence was used.

She told the jury: “Some of you may find what you are about to hear distressing. The events and circumstances described by the girls are at best saddening and at worst shocking in places. No child should be exploited as these girls say they were.”

The court heard the men knew each other and that two of them worked in the takeaways Tasty Bites and the Balti House, both in Market Street in Heywood. Four of the other men worked as cab drivers at local taxi firms, one was a student and four were jobless.

Miss Smith said they were the “sort of children who were easy to identify, target and exploit for the sexual gratification of these men.”

On one occasion, the 59–year–old took one of the girls to Oldham where she was raped by another male whom she did not know.


(Proceeding)