Girl 'could have been abused by 200 men' - trial

Girl A tells the court it was "hard to keep track" of how many men she was abused by as a young teenager

A woman who was allegedly used as a "sex slave" when she was a child has told a jury she could have been abused by more than 200 men.

Eight men are on trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, accused of sexual offences - including rape and indecent assaults - against two girls in Rochdale between 2001 and 2006. They deny the charges.

One of the complainants, known as Girl A, said she was targeted in the town by a group of Asian men from the age of 13, with her phone number passed around between them.

She said: "There was that many it was hard to keep count."

A second complainant, Girl B, was also 13 at the time of the alleged abuse.

Prosecutors told the jury the girls were plied with drugs, alcohol and cigarettes before they were expected to have sex with the defendants and others whenever they wanted.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Girl A said she was approached by police in 2009 when they were investigating child sexual exploitation but declined to assist.

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A similar approach was made by officers in the summer of 2015 which she again rebuffed, but she changed her mind later that year, the court heard.

Jurors were previously told that Girl A had blamed herself for what happened but now realised she was "just a kid who knew no different".

Girl A agreed with Imran Khan, representing Naheem Akram, one of the eight defendants, that she initially told the police in 2015 that "about 100 men" had sexually exploited her.

She later provided a list containing 41 names to the police, the court heard.

Mr Khan said: "Is it fair to say it was difficult to remember names?"

Girl A replied: "There was only one name I was confused with."

'No pressure to provide names'

Mr Khan said: "Were you under any sort of pressure to come up with names because you told police you had 100 people?"

"No," Girl A replied.

Mr Khan said: "Yesterday you said there were probably 200."

Girl A told the court: "There could have been more to be fair. There was that many it was hard to keep count."

The defendants – who were market traders or taxi drivers at the time – deny various sexual offences, including rape, indecent assault and conspiracy to commit indecency with a child, said to have been committed between 2001 and 2006.

They are: Mohammed Zahid, 64, of Crumpsall, Manchester; Naheem Akram, 48; Mohammed Shahzad, 44; Nisar Hussain, 41; Roheez Khan, 39; and Arfan Khan, 41, all of Rochdale; and Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, and Kasir Bashir, 50, both from Oldham.

The trial continues.

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