Judge summing up evidence in child sex abuse trial

The men are standing trial at Sheffield Crown Court accused of 27 counts of child sexual exploitation offences committed between 1998 and 2005.

The charges are part of Operation Stovewood, the National Crime Agency’s investigation into historic CSE in Rotherham.

The trial, which began on September 3, is now in its eighth week and jurors have heard the case for the prosecution and the defence.

Judge Sarah Wright began summing up the evidence after representatives of each of the eight men finished giving their closing speeches to the jury this morning.  (Tuesday).

Mr David McGonigal, who is defending Iqlak Yousaf, told jurors last Friday that one of his client’s alleged victims had previously made false allegations about her partner and had got other women to do sexual favours in return for drugs.

Yousaf (34), of Tooker Road, Rotherham, is accused of repeatedly raping and indecently assaulting the woman between May 2001 and May 2003, when she would have been 14 or 15.

Mr McGonigal said: “The allegation is that he had regular intercourse and oral sex with her.

“She says this was occuring almost on a daily basis for 18 months to two years.

“Threats were made if she didn’t comply.”

Mr McGonigal said the jury had to consider that allegation against the fact that the woman had not named Yousaf as an abuser in any of the files police had seized from youth project Risky Business.

Mr McGonigal said another woman, who accused Yousaf of raping her in Sherwood Forest when she was 14 or 15, had previously made false allegations about her stepfather because she wanted to get him out of the house.

He said Yousaf denied ever having sex with the woman but, if the jury rejected his account, they could not be sure that the woman wasn’t consenting at the time.

Yousaf is accused of repeatedly indecently assaulting a third girl, who was aged 14 or 15, between July 2001 and July 2003 by forcing her to perform a sexual act on him.

Mr McGonigal said Yousaf admitted having a relationship with her, but that was in 2004, when she would have been over 16.

Yousaf denies two counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault.

The trial continues.