Ten on trial over violence after Rotherham demos

Mr Paul O’Shea, prosecuting, opened the case at Sheffield Crown Court this morning.

He said that on September 5 last year there was a march organised by right-wing group Britain First and other similar outfits including Yorkshire's Finest in the wake of the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal.

The march came less than a month after the death of Muslim OAP Mushin Ahmed (81) who was killed in a racially-motivated attack as he made his way to the mosque, Mr O’Shea said.

He said that on this occasion an anti-facist counter demonstration was organised due to the strong feelings running in the town — because “people had had enough”.

Mr O’Shea said that after the marches ended at 4pm, trouble erupted near to the William Fry pub on Wellgate when both sides encountered each other.

The right-wing protestors, he said, shouted racist abuse at passing Asian men, “but got more than they bargained for here and fairly quickly, because they became significantly outnumbered by a great many men, many of whom were on the way home from the counter protest”.

The prosecutor said that all the defendants accepted being present at the scene and it was up to the jury to decide if what they did was in self-defence of themselves or of another person, which they claim.

The ten, who have men all denied violent disorder, are:

Mohammed Saleem (44), Mount Street, Masbrough

Nasrum Rashid (22), Fraser Road, Broom

Moshin Mahmood (18), James Street, Masbrough

Abrar Javid (38), St John's Road, Eastwood

Sadaqat Ali (40), Milton Road, Eastwood

Imran Iqbal (30), Clough Road, Masbrough

Arshad Khan (45), Wellgate Mount, Rotherham

Shaban Ditta (32), Cambridge Crescent, East Dene.

Akaash Nazier (22), Cow Rakes Close, Whiston.

Asif Zaman (48), Wellgate Mount, Rotherham, who also denies a charge of possessing an offensive weapon in Wellgate on the day of the protests.

Two men who were charged in connection with the same incident — Haseeb Alam (19), of Selwyn Street, Eastwood, and Mahroof Sultan (37), of Grosvenor Road, Eastwood — have both admitted violent disorder and will be sentenced at the end of the trial.

The trial is expected to last up to six weeks.

Mr O’Shea said people from the “other side” of the incident were due to face trial later this year.