Three in court over 15 child sex offences

THREE men charged with a total of 15 offences of indecent assault against a child in Rotherham as part of an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) have appeared before magistrates.

Riaz Makhmood (38), Sajid Ali (37) and Zaheer Iqbal (39), all from Masbrough are accused of assaulting a girl aged under 14 between June 1994 and June 1995.

Makhmood faces three charges of indecent assault, while Ali and Iqbal face seven and five charges respectively of the same offence.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Last month, they became the first people to be charged with offences by Operation Stovewood, the independent NCA investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

They appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Monday and were bailed to appear before Sheffield Crown Court on February 6.

So far a total of 15 men have now been arrested, interviewed and bailed pending further enquiries as part of the operation, which has identified more than 40 suspects and begun the process of engaging with 157 victims and survivors.

Related topics: