Judge summing up evidence in Rotherham abuse trial

Aftab Hussain (40), of York Road, Rotherham; Abid Saddiq (38), of Walter Street, Masbrough; Masaued Malik (35); Sharaz Hussain (35), of Fitzwilliam Road, Eastwood and two other men, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, have been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for six weeks charged with 27 child sexual exploitation offences allegedly committed between 1998 and 2002.

The charges have all been brought as part of the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood investigation.

The prosecution say the men had often acted as a group and “shared” the girls around.

Prosecutor Ms Ann Cotcher, QC, said when she opened the case: “These young men knew the girls were underage and more than that, they knew the girls were lacking in confidence and they would prey on their vulnerabilities.

“It was not unusual to park outside the schools where some of the girls went to, waiting to engage them in conversation and take them away from school or hang around in local parks or the alleyway behind Boots in Rotherham, the indoor market, or Clifton Park bandstand or the bus station — always waiting for girls to perform oral sex on them.”

All six men deny the charges against them.

The trial continues.