“All these men knew I was underage,” Girl A said
26 Feb 2025
A teenage girl became ‘used to being used as a sex thing’ as she was allegedly raped and abused by Asian men in Rochdale, a trial has heard.
Girl A, as she is known to protect her lifelong anonymity, claims that she was raped over a number of years in the mid 2000s. The trial of eight men, accused of a series of sexual offences allegedly committed against two girls in Rochdale between 2001 and 2006, continued at Minshull Street Crown Court.
The alleged victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are being identified as Girl A and Girl B. Jurors have heard that the accused were mainly either taxi drivers or market stall traders in the town. The girls were ‘passed around’ for sex before being ‘discarded’, it is alleged.
Mohammed Zahid, 64; Kasir Bashir, 50; Mushtaq Ahmed, 66; Roheez Khan, 39; Mohammed Shahzad, 43; Nisar Hussain, 43; Naheem Akram, 48; and Arfan Khan, 40, deny all the charges they face.
Mohammed Zahid, Roheez Khan, Mohammed Shahzad, Naheem Akram, Arfan Khan and Nisar Hussain face allegations of rape in respect of Girl A. On Wednesday (Feb 26) jurors were told about an email which Girl A wrote in 2016 which was shared with police, in which she made a number of allegations.
In the email, she wrote about an alleged incident in which she said she was filmed while being sexually abused. She alleged that ‘Zero’, an alleged nickname for taxi driver Mr Shahzad – which he denies is him – invited her to a ‘sesh’ with two friends, Mr Akram and Mr Hussain.
She claimed Mr Shahzad gave her an ecstasy pill, which she took, before he drove to a quiet road in Rochdale. Girl A said that they were ‘having a laugh’ for a while before Mr Shahzad allegedly told her to take her clothes off.
She claimed that Mr Shahzad began ‘pulling’ her clothes off. “I told them to stop but they were just laughing,” Girl A said. “I started laughing because I didn’t want to cry.” Prosecutors allege that Mr Hussain took a video of Mr Shazhad abusing her.
They claimed that after this, Mr Shahzad told Girl A to have sex with him and Mr Akram, or the video would be distributed. Jurors have been told that Girl A was allegedly raped by Mr Shazhad and Mr Akram on that occasion, and that the video was later sent on to other people. Girl A wrote in the email: “Everyone I knew in Rochdale either had the video or had seen it off someone else.
“They raped me yet I am the one that’s in the wrong. They ruined my life and reputation. All these men knew I was underage. They knew what school I was at.”
Jurors also watched a video recorded interview which police conducted with Girl A in 2017, in which she made allegations against Naheem Akram, who is also allegedly known by the nickname ‘Lala’.
Asked by the interviewing officer how she felt after the alleged abuse, Girl A said: “There’’ no feeling there really, to be quite honest. It was just something that happened. By that point I had just got used to being used as a sex thing really.”
Asked how Mr Akram ‘treated’ her, she replied: “Not nice, he was horrible actually. Sometimes I would walk down the street and he would just scream random s*** at me.”
- Mohammed Zahid, 64, of Station Road, Crumpsall, Manchester, is charged with 10 counts of rape; four counts of indecency with a child; and six counts of procuring a girl under 21 to have unlawful sexual intercourse.
- Kasir Bashir, 50, of Napier Street East, Oldham, is charged with two counts of rape; and two counts of indecency with a child.
- Mushtaq Ahmed, 66, of Corona Avenue, Oldham, is charged with four counts of rape; four counts of indecency with a child; and a single count of procuring a girl under 21 to have unlawful sexual intercourse.
- Roheez Khan, 39, of Athole Street, Rochdale, is charged with a single count of rape.
- Mohammed Shahzad, 43, of Beswicke Royds Street, Rochdale, is charged with eight counts of rape; and single counts of conspiracy to commit indecency with a child; conspiracy to cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity; indecency with a child; indecent assault; and assault by penetration.
- Nisar Hussain, 43, of Newfield Close, Rochdale, is charged with four counts of rape; and single counts of conspiracy to commit indecency with a child; conspiracy to cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity; indecent assault; and assault by penetration.
- Naheem Akram, 48, of Manley Road, Rochdale, is charged with 11 counts of rape; and single counts of conspiracy to commit indecency with a child; conspiracy to cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity; indecency with a child; indecent assault; and assault by penetration.
- Arfan Khan, 40, of Grouse Street, Rochdale, is charged with two counts of rape; and single counts of conspiracy to commit indecency with a child; and conspiracy to cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity.
- https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/teenage-girl-became-used-being-31087342