Child abuse trial: Third woman has "made up" sex abuse claim

A BARRISTER defending a man accused of sexually assaulting three women has claimed one woman lied about the abuse and inferred she was motivated by compensation.

A BARRISTER defending a man accused of sexually assaulting three women has claimed one woman lied about the abuse and inferred she was motivated by compensation

Ms Elaine Stapleton, representing Ishtiaq Khaliq at Sheffield Crown Court, said the woman (28) had made up the allegation.

The woman – the third complainant in a child sex abuse case where eight men are on trial – told police in April 2016 that Khaliq forced her to perform a sex act on him in an alleyway next Boots in Rotherham town centre.

Khaliq (33) is charged with indecently assaulting the woman between 1999-2001 when she was aged 12-14 and he would have been aged 15-17.

He also faces two counts of indecent assaulting another woman and one count of rape against a third - all said to have taken place between 1999-2003

Giving evidence in court today, the woman said Khaliq was known as little Ishy, Ishy or Blinky due to squinting and blinking a lot and “used to stand in Boots alley waiting for young lasses”.

The woman said that one evening he had asked her to go down the alleyway and she agreed because she was flattered by his attention and thought he wanted to talk.

She added: “I’m sure he bought us (alcoholic) drink.”

In the alleyway, she claimed, Khaliq forced her to perform a sex act and she feared if she refused she would have been threatened by him or his sisters.

“I suppose I could have said 'no', but I was a kid,” she added.

The next day, she alleged, he “blanked her” as though she was “scum”.

She added: “He knew our age because he saw me in my school uniform, he knew we were kids, he knew that if we had a drink we would do what he wanted when he wanted.”

Ms Stapleton said the man she identified this year at a police ID parade was not the man she knew as little Ishy, which the woman denied.

Ms Stapleton claimed that when the woman spoke to police she already knew Khaliq had been charged with sexual abuse in relation to two other women.

Ms Stapleton said: “You had seen his name in the papers.”

The woman said police had not told her anything about the charges, she did not know he had been charged or even his full name so wouldn’t have recognised it in the news.

The barrister asked the woman if she had made a compensation claim against Rotherham Borough Council and South Yorkshire Police this year.

The woman answered “yes” but said she had withdrawn it two weeks ago.

Ms Stapleton said when the woman was interviewed by police in March 2015 she was asked if she had had a sexual relationship with Khaliq.

Ms Stapleton said the woman told police: “You know what, he’s one person I can’t remember if I did or not”.

But in April 2016, Ms Stapleton said, she told police in detail about performing a sex act on him in the alleyway.

The woman told the court: “I was not strong enough mentally or physically to brave another trial and I knew if I told them there would be (a trial).

“When things started to sort themselves out at home I thought ‘I’m ready’.”

Miss Michelle Colborne, prosecuting, said the March 2015 police interview the woman gave was in connection to a “different man”.

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