'Rochdale gang of 11 men plied young girls with drink and used them for sex', court told

February 21, 2012

A group of 11 men plied girls as young as 13 with drink and drugs so they could use them for sex, a court heard today. The five girls, who were 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. Rachel Smith, opening the case for the prosecution, told the jury of three men and nine women: "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 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, Greater Manchester, 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.

Kabeer Hassan, 24, Abdul Aziz, 41, Abdul Rauf, 43, Mohammed Sajid, 35, Adil Khan, 42, Abdul Qayyum, 43, Mohammed Amin, 44, Qamar Shahzad, 29, Liaquat Shah, 41, and Hamid Safi, 22, are on trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children under the age of 16. They have all pleaded not guilty along with a 59-year-old man who cannot be named for legal reasons. He also denies two counts of rape, aiding and abetting a rape, one count of sexual assault and an allegation of trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation.

Hassan, of Lacrosse Avenue, Oldham, and Shahzad, of Tweedale Street, Rochdale, also deny rape. Aziz, of Armstrong Hurst Close, Rochdale, denies two counts of rape and one allegation of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Khan, of Oswald Street, and Rauf, of Darley Road, both in Rochdale, have also pleaded not guilty to trafficking for sexual exploitation. Sajid, of Jepheys Street, Rochdale, denies trafficking, two counts of rape and one allegation of sexual activity with a child. Amin, of Falinge Road, Rochdale, denies sexual assault. Shah and Safi, both of Kensington Street, Rochdale, each denied two counts of rape and Safi has also pleaded not guilty to trafficking. Aziz, Khan, Safi and the 59-year-old are remanded in custody. Qayyum, of Ramsay Street, Rochdale, and the rest of the defendants are on bail.

The trial continues.

Read more at: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1486093_rochdale-gang-of-11-men-plied-young-girls-with-drink-and-used-them-for-sex-court-told

NWN: And about time the media started 'writing' about this 'secret' trial. There have been demonstrations some of which were filmed by SKY NEWS cameras but a lid was kept on it. It's out there now and about time too.