Seven men in court accused of rape

August 13, 2020

The latest ‘grooming gang’ for rape and prostitution trial. From the Telegraph and Argus

SEVEN men made their first appearances in court yesterday on a raft of historic rape charges against children said to have been committed in Keighley a decade ago. They all appeared separately in the dock at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court on Friday afternoon, apart from Omar Safdar who appeared before the court via a video link.

The defendants and charges are as follows:

Waqaas Ali, 26, of Hardwick Street, Keighley, is charged with two counts of rape against a child. He appeared in the dock wearing a black gilet, black t-shirt and grey shorts.

The bespectacled Hassan Syed Basharat, 31, of Highfield Road, Keighley, was wearing a grey tracksuit and is charged with one count of rape and conspiring to rape with Imran Sabir.

Imran Sabir, 40, of Bradford Road, Riddlesden, near Keighley, who is also charged with one count of rape, and conspiring to rape with Basharat, appeared dressed in a grey tracksuit.

Omar Safdar, 28, of the Pendlebury area of south Manchester, appeared charged with five counts of raping a child, and appeared in court via a video link dressed in a grey t-shirt.

Sayeed Hafeez, 34, of Thomas Duggan House, Shipley, is charged with two counts of rape. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.

Amjad Hussain, 34, of Scott Lane West, Riddlesden, is charged with three counts of rape, and appeared in the dock in a black hooded top and jeans.

Baber Hussain, 34, of Thorn Lane, Heaton, is charged with five counts of rape, and one count of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl. He was wearing a grey cagoule and a blue t-shirt in the courtroom.

None of the defendants were required to enter a plea at this point, and all were told to attend their next hearing at Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday, September 1. Each of the defendants was granted unconditional bail, except Safdar who was granted technical unconditional bail.