Three charged with 15 Rotherham child sex offences

Riaz Makhmood, (38), Sajid Ali (37) and Zaheer Iqbal (39), all from Masbrough,have been charged with assaulting a girl aged under 14 between June 1994 and June 1995.

Riaz Makhmood faces three charges of indecent assault, Sajid Ali faces seven charges of indecent assault and Zaheer Iqbal faces five charges of indecent assault.

These are the first individuals to be charged with offences by operation Stovewood, the independent investigation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

The men have been bailed to appear at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on January 9.

To date, a total of 15 men have now been arrested, interviewed and bailed pending further enquiries for child sexual abuse or exploitation-related offences.

The ongoing investigation has identified 46 suspects to date and has begun the process of engaging with 157 victims and survivors.