Grooming accuser told she 'imagined' alleged rape

Six men are on trial at Manchester Minshull Street Court

An alleged Rochdale grooming gang victim has denied she got it "completely wrong" and was mistaken about the identity of one of the men, a jury has heard.

Prosecutors say the girl, referred to as Girl C in the court, was one of two vulnerable school pupils described as "easy prey" for the six men on trial at Manchester Minshull Street Court.

She was allegedly passed around for sex and abused "in the most humiliating and degrading way imaginable".

The men, from Rochdale and Shawforth, are accused of sexual offences against two girls on various dates between 2003 and 2006.

The alleged ringleader of the gang Tahir Rashid, 54, denies raping two teenagers, referred to a Girl A and Girl C and a third complaint, a 12-year-old girl referred to as Girl B, in the late 1980s.

Sucklane Shah, 46, of no fixed abode; Arshad Mohammed, 55, of Rochdale; and Amjad Mahmood, 53, also of Rochdale, all deny rape.

Mohammed Saleem, 46, of Rochdale; and Itfaq Hussain, 45, of Shawforth, also deny rape.

'Figment of imagination'

Girl C told police she "stupidly" thought she was in a relationship with one of the defendants, married father Mr Shah and had sex 10 to 15 times in his car.

During cross-examination, Pierce Power, defending Mr Shah, said his client did not accept he was in "any sort of relationship" with the girl and had only met her on three occasions, when no sexual activity took place.

Mr Power said: "That was a figment of your imagination. It's not true."

Girl C replied: "Yeah, it's true."

Mr Power said: "To say you had sex with him in a car on 10 to 15 occasions, it's simply not true."

Girl C said: "It's true."

Another defendant, Arshad Mohammed, is said to have driven Girl C to various places at night for sex, including near a school.

Bob Sastry, defending Mr Mohammed, said to Girl C: "I am going to suggest that's a mistake on your part and you have got that completely wrong. It's not him you had sex with at any point?"

Girl C said: "We did."

Mr Sastry said Mr Mohammed accepted he had met Girl C on a number of occasions in Rochdale town centre but the pair had never engaged in any sexual activity.

Julian Goode, representing Amjad Mahmood, who is also accused of raping Girl C, said: "I suggest that at no stage was there any sexual connection or interaction between you and him?"

Girl C said: "No, there was."

The trial continues.