Men Deny Involvement in Child Sexual Exploitation Gang
A group of men have denied allegations of being part of a child sexual exploitation gang accused of raping teenage girls and supplying them with drugs.
They face charges related to a conspiracy to traffic teenage girls and provide drugs in exchange for sexual services in Rhyl, Denbighshire, as heard at Caernarfon Crown Court on Monday.
Mustafa Iqbal, 43, Ziaullah Badshah, 25, and Mohamed Usman Arshad, 36, are also charged with rape involving victims aged between 14 and 16 years old. All defendants deny the charges.
Prosecutor Describes Main Abuser as a Predator
Owen Edwards KC, prosecuting, identified Iqbal as the principal abuser, describing him as a "predator who used and abused his victims." Iqbal works as a take-away delivery driver and is also involved in drug dealing.
The court heard that Iqbal first encountered two victims, a 14-year-old referred to as Girl A and a 15-year-old called Girl B, on a spring evening in 2022 in Rhyl.
The jury was informed that the girls had already consumed cannabis and were considered "ripe for sexual exploitation," according to Edwards.
Iqbal persuaded the girls to come to his home and summoned his associates Badshah and Arshad.
The two girls were given alcohol and cannabis before the sexual assaults occurred, the court was told.
"They took the girls as sexual commodities," Edwards said. "They took full sexual advantage of 'Girl B' in particular."
Case Uncovered After Another Man Took Victim to London
The allegations emerged after Jaswinder Singh, 61, also from Rhyl, took Girl B to London, where concerns were raised.
Edwards said: "At this stage, the four men were arrested and made denials."
The court also heard that Iqbal continued grooming a third girl, a 16-year-old who had been in a care setting.
Prosecutor Edwards stated that Girl C was given cocaine and cannabis by Iqbal in exchange for sex and was treated as a "sexual plaything."
She eventually disclosed the abuse after being handcuffed by Iqbal and forced to have sex, the court was told.
Charges and Allegations Detailed
The group faces a total of twenty-eight charges, including trafficking for sexual exploitation, rape, supplying drugs, and sexual assaults.
Iqbal faces twenty-one separate charges, including the rape of Girl B and Girl C, and sexually assaulting Girl A.
Badshah and Arshad are accused of raping Girl B and face trafficking allegations.
Singh denies conspiracy to traffic two of the victims and conspiracy to supply cannabis to them.
Sarah Gray, 53, denies supplying cocaine and cannabis to Girl C and also denies perverting the course of justice.
The trial is expected to last between six and eight weeks.
