Child sex abuse trial: Defendant's “shock” at “false rape allegation”

A FORMER taxi driver said he was “shocked” and “gutted” when a rape complainant identified him as her attacker, a court heard.

Asif Ali (31) is on trial at Sheffield Crown Court, along with seven other men for historic sexual offences.

Ali denies raping the 13-year-old girl in Clifton Park in April 2003, when he would have been 18. 

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He claimed he did not know the woman and that information she knows about him she had obtained from her former partner.

Giving evidence today (Friday), Ali told the court he had 15 siblings and co-defendants Sageer and Basharat Hussain and Mohammed Whied were his cousins, but he did not mix with them or any of the other men on trial in 2003.

Mr Charles Conway, defending for Ali, said the complainant told police in 2015 the man who raped her in Clifton Park was fat, very tall, probably over 6ft, with black, spikey hair and side burns.

Ali said he was not fat in 2003 and had never had black, spikey hair and was 5ft 11ins.

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The woman identified Ali in a police ID parade in 2015 from a photo of him taken in November 2004.

Ali, of Clough Road, Eastwood, said he was “shocked” and “gutted” about this “false allegation”.

The complainant told police that prior to being raped the man told her he was married  - but Ali said he married in June 2003.

Her Honour Judge Sarah Wright asked if a marital contract had been drawn up prior to his wedding, to which he said his parents had taken care of the marriage and he wasn’t sure if there was one.

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The complainant told police Ali always called himself Maj or Majid, which he denied.

She also said he lived on Clough Road, was a cousin of Sageer and his father was blind. 

The defendant claimed she had obtained this information about him from her former partner, who he didn’t get on with.

Under cross examination, Miss Michelle Colborne, prosecuting, said Ali was trying to distance himself from his cousins and was lying about not associating with them.

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Miss Colborne said: “You’ve given the impression, apart from being cousins and knowing each other’s full names, you barely knew them and didn’t even know their nicknames.”

Miss Colborne asked him about the alleged rape, adding: “Would it be acceptable for a man to push himself on to a girl and goad her into having sex?”

Ali answered: “No it’s not and I didn’t do that because it wasn’t me.”

Miss Colborne said: “You took longer goading and pushing her into submission than you did the actual physical act.”

He answered: “No I didn't.”

The trial continues, all the men deny all the offences.

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