Men ‘groomed girls at Meadowhall’ 15 years ago

I have been keeping an eye on the trial of nine men  at the Crown Court Sheffield for some weeks. These men, who are mostly Kurds are on trial for the historic rape and abuse of a young girl.  Another trial of four ‘Asian’ men for rape and sexual abuse stared in a nearby courtroom last week. The public access Cause list warns of a reporting restriction. However I am not on the court steps so believe I am safe to link to the BBC report  report.

Four men sexually abused two teenage girls by grooming them at Meadowhall shopping centre more than 15 years ago, jurors heard.

Azad Raja, Amin Aslam, Faisal Hussain and Yasser Hussain deny rape and indecent assault.

The alleged offences began when the girls were as young as 13 and occurred between 2001 and 2004.

Prosecutor Jayne Beckett said the friends were groomed in and around the Sheffield shopping mall. She said the “Meadowhall scene was very seedy” at the time and that Mr Raja had sex with one girl in a lift at the complex, by a bridge, and at Mr Aslam’s house in Masbrough. “Any apparent consent wasn’t genuine, she was young and vulnerable.”

The charges:

The men, between 16 and 21 at the time, deny all charges.

Amin Aslam, 32, of Leatham Avenue in Masbrough: one count of rape, one count of indecent assault

Yasser Hussain, 35, of Norborough Road in Tinsley: two counts of indecent assault, one count of rape

Azad Raja, 35, of Adney Road in Sheffield: three counts of rape, one count of indecent assault

Faisal Hussain, 32, of Lovetot Road in Rotherham: two counts of indecent assault