‘I’ve had her bro, you can have her’
Men ‘groomed teenage girl from the age of 12 before raping her in drug den’
- The girl fell pregnant at 14 during her 18-month ordeal in Lancashire
- Six men deny a catalogue of sexual offences against her
(From left to right) Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad, Mohammed Suleman Farooq, Omar Mazafer and Haroon Mahmood cover their faces as they appear at an earlier hearing in relation to the charges.
A teenage girl was allegedly groomed from the age of 12 and and taken to a drug den before being ‘passed around for sex’ by a gang of men. The girl fell pregnant at 14 during an 18-month ordeal which saw her raped and sexually assaulted by the men at a house in the Brierfield area of Burnley in Lancashire.
Six men from the area have appeared before Manchester Crown Court to face a range of sexual offences against the girl. Prosecutor Alaric Bassano told the court: ‘The girl was groomed over a period of time and on many occasions was taken to a house near Brierfield, Burnley. ‘That house was used as a den at which young men invited or brought young girls and women to drink alcohol, take drugs and engage in sex.
‘It was to this house that this girl was taken and at this house that she was sexually assaulted and raped by several adult males. ‘She was passed between the men to be used for their own sexual gratification. She was treated with indignity and contempt by them.’ Mohammed Imran Amjad, 26, known as Immy , denies rape, child abduction and intimidating a witness. Shiraz Afzal,26, known as Frankie, denies aiding and abetting rape. Omar Mazafar ,22, known as Bats, denies inciting rape. Mohammed Suleman Farooq, 23, known as Sully, denies sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity with a child, and witness intimidation. Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad,25, known as Zishan, denies rape and engaging in sexual activity with a child and Haroon Mahmood, 22, denies rape and engaging in sexual activity with a child. Mr Bassano told the court that the victim became ‘aggressive and disobedient’ at the age of 12 and began spending a considerable amount of time with Immy Amjad. But when her worried mother confronted Immy, told him her child’s age and accused him of an inappropriate relationship, he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Mr Bassano said: ‘The girl made no complaint and continued to fraternise with Immy. Immy himself was undeterred by the challenge and went on to commit numerous offences.’
The court heard that the girl later told police just before her 15th birthday when she was pregnant that she was first contacted by Immy when she was 12 years old. She was 13 when he began to drive her around Burnley and began to take her to the house where she was later raped and sexually assaulted by a number of men. One of the men had created a Facebook account with photographs of her and explicit captions. Mr Bassano said that the alleged victim did not reveal all the offences against her when first interviewed and the full allegations emerged after a further police investigation. The court heard that after her first interview with police, Immy Amjad had been questioned and later phoned her and threatened to kill her.
Mr Farooq had also later stopped her in the nearby town of Nelson and threatened to beat her up and said he was going to acquire a gun to shoot her. A message found on her mobile phone read: ‘Immy and Frankie have made me prostitute myself, made me sleep with their friends and said if I didn’t want to, they threatened to hurt my Mum or sister.’ Mr Bassano said that a witness would tell the court that she had seen the girl in the house on a number of occasions. She would recall Immy Amjed saying to Mr Afzal: ‘I’ve had her, bro, you can have her.’ The prosecutor added that text messages would show that Immy Amjad had considerable contact with the girl and often spoke about her ‘in sexually degrading terms.’ He said: ‘They will also show that there were organised events in relation to drinking, drug taking and the procurement of females for sex.’
The trial continues.
By STEVE NOLAN
PUBLISHED: 18:57, 19 March 2013 | UPDATED: 20:23, 19 March 2013
