Thirty people to go on trial over alleged child abuse in Huddersfield

Thirty people will go trial charged with offences relating to the alleged sexual exploitation of children in Huddersfield, a judge has ruled.

Twenty five of the defendants appeared at Leeds Crown Court (pictured) on Friday.

They are charged with a total of 78 offences, including rape, trafficking and sexual assaults involving a total of five complainants.

Eighteen of those who appeared in court were on bail, with seven in custody.

Five further defendants who are custody did not appear, but were represented in court.

Judge Simon Phillips QC said the cases will be dealt with in three separate trials – which will begin in September 2019.

The final trial will not begin until April 2020.

Only 20 of the 30 defendants can be named. These are (all are from Huddersfield except where stated):

• – Iftikar Ali, 37, of Holly Road, charged with three rapes and one attempted rape
• – Umar Zaman, 30, of Bishop’s Court, charged with two rapes
• – Basharat Hussain, 31, charged with two rapes
• – Banaras Hussain, 37, of Scarborough Road, Shipley, charged with one rape
• – Mubasher Hussain, 35, of Lockwood Road, charged with one rape and one sexual assault
• – Abdul Majid, 34, of Lightcliffe Road, charged with two rapes
• – Gul Riaz, 42, of Balmoral Avenue, charged with one rape
• – Fehreen Rafiq, 38, of Blackmoorfoot Road, charged with two counts of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence
• – Mohammed Sajjad, 31, of Moorbottom Road, charged with five counts of rape and one count of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence
• – Usman Ali, 32, of Park Drive, charged with two counts of rape
• – Mohammed Suhail Arif, 30, of New Hey Road, charged with one rape
• – Amin Ali Choli, 36, of Seaton Street, charged with two rapes
• – Mohammed Dogar, 35, of Central Avenue, charged with two counts of trafficking
• – Banaris Hussain, 35, of William Street, charged with one rape
• – Shaqeel Hussain, 35, of Spen Valley Road, Dewsbury, charged with one rape and two counts of trafficking
• – Mohammed Waqas Anwar, 28, of Chapel Terrace, charged with five rapes
• – Saqib Raheel, 32, of Upper High Street, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, charged with two rapes
• – Manzoor Akhtar, 29, of Blackmoorfoot Road, Huddersfield, is accused of three rapes and trafficking
• – Samuel Fikru, 30, of Camden, is charged with two rapes
• – Mohammed Akram, 41, of Manchester Road, Huddersfield, is charged with a rape and two counts of trafficking.

The 10 men who cannot be named are charged with a range of offences, including rape and trafficking.

The next appearance, for the 10 defendants in the first trial, will be April 5, 2019, at Leeds Crown Court.

_{Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2018, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Anna Gowthorpe / PA Wire.}