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 Girl C was one of two vulnerable school pupils who was “easy prey” and passed around for sex and abused “in the most humiliating and degrading way imaginable”.
Six men are on trial at Manchester Minshull Street Court accused of various sexual offences against Girl C and/or Girl A on various dates between 2003 and 2006. Girl C told police she “stupidly” thought she was in a relationship with one of the defendants, married father Sucklane Shah, 46, and had sex 10 to 15 times in his car. On Tuesday during cross-examination, Pierce Power, defending 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, 55, is said to have driven Girl C to various places at night for sex, including near a school.
Bob Sastry, defending 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 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, 53, 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.”
Shah, of no fixed abode; Mohammed, of Rochdale; and Mahmood, also of Rochdale, all deny rape.
Mohammed Saleem, 46, of Rochdale; and Itfaq Hussain, 45, of Shawforth, deny raping Girl A.
Alleged ringleader Tahir Rashid, 54, of Rochdale, denies raping Girl A and Girl C, and also raping a third complainant, Girl B, who was a schoolgirl in the late 1980s. The trial continues.
