A group of 30 people will face trial charged with 78 counts relating to the alleged sexual exploitation of children in Huddersfield.
Twenty-five members of the group, who face charges including rape and trafficking with intent to engage in sexual exploitation, appeared at Leeds Crown Court for the first time today (Nov 16).
A further five defendants who face trial were not produced from custody for the hearing.
The alleged offences occurred between 2005 and 2012 and relate to five girls and young women then aged between 12 and 18 in Huddersfield, West Yorks.
The 25 defendants present in court spoke only to confirm their name and dates of birth.
No pleas were entered during the trial preparation.
Iftikar Ali, 37, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with three rapes and one attempted rape.
Umar Zaman, 30, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., charged with two rapes.
Basharat Hussain, 31, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with two rapes.
Banaras Hussain, 37, of Shipley, West Yorks., is charged with one rape.
Mubasher Hussain, 35, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with one rape and one sexual assault.
Abdul Majid, 34, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., charged with two rapes.
Gul Riaz, 42, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., charged with one rape.
Fehreen Rafiq, 38, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with two counts of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
Mohammed Sajjad, 31, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with five counts of rape and one count of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
Usman Ali, 32, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with two counts of rape.
Mohammed Suhail Arif, 30, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with one rape.
Amin Ali Choli, 36, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with two rapes.
Mohammed Dogar, 35, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with two counts of trafficking.
Banaris Hussain, 35, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with one rape.
Shaqeel Hussain, 35, of Dewsbury, West Yorks., is charged with one rape and two counts of trafficking.
Mohammed Waqas Anwar, 28, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with five rapes.
Saqib Raheel, 32, of Cradley Heath, West Midlands, is charged with two rapes.
Manzoor Akhtar, 29, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is accused of three rapes and trafficking.
Samuel Fikru, 30, of Camden, is charged with two rapes.
Mohammed Akram, 41, of Huddersfield, West Yorks., is charged with a rape and two counts of trafficking.
An additional ten men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have also been charged with numerous offences including rape in connection with the same investigation into non-recent child sexual exploitation.
Judge Simon Phillips QC set a date of September 9, 2019 for the first of a series of trials.
The trials are expected to last between six and eight weeks each and run throughout 2020.
By Daniel Sheridan
