Seventeen men and a woman have appeared in court charged with offences linked to child sexual exploitation in West Yorkshire.



The group are among 31 people accused of offences including the rape and trafficking of five girls, aged 12 to 18, in the Huddersfield area between 2005 and 2012.



The first 18 defendants appeared at Kirklees magistrates court in

Huddersfield on Wednesday morning.



More than 20 police officers were outside the court, where supporters of the far-right English Defence League confronted Socialist party demonstrators holding placards saying: “Justice not Racism. No to the EDL.”



Shouts of “scum” and “paedo” were heard as some defendants made their way to the court building, many shielding their faces with scarves and hooded jackets.



The 18 appeared in groups of between one to four in front of the district judge, Michael Fanning, in a hearing that lasted two and a half hours. A 19th man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was due to appear in court but failed to attend.



The judge released all 18 defendants on bail and ordered them to

appear at Leeds crown court for a pre-trial hearing on 1

November.



Another 12 defendants are due to appear at Kirklees magistrates court

on Thursday. The 18 who appeared in court on Wednesday were:



• Iftikar Ali, 37, of Huddersfield, who is charged with three counts of rape of a girl aged 13-15 and one count of attempted rape of a girl aged 13-15.



• Umar Zaman, 30, of Huddersfield, is charged with two counts of rape of

a female aged 13-15.

• Basharat Hussain, 31, of Huddersfield, is charged with two counts of rape of a female aged 13-15.

• Banaras Hussain, 37, of Shipley, is charged with one count of rape of a female over 16.

• Mubasher Hussain, 35, of Huddersfield, is charged with rape of a female aged 13-15 and sexual assault.

• Gul Riaz, 42, of Huddersfield, is charged with rape of a female aged 13-15.

• Abdul Majid, 34, of Huddersfield, is charged with two counts of rape of a female aged 13-15.



• Fehreen Rafiq, 38, of Huddersfield, is charged with two counts of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

• Mohammed Sajjad, 31, of Huddersfield, is charged with four counts of rape of a female aged 13-15 and one count of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.



• Usman Ali, 32, of Huddersfield, is charged with two counts of rape of a female aged 13-15.



• Mohammed Suhail Arif, 30, of Huddersfield, is charged with rape of a girl aged 13-15.

• Amin Ali Choli, 36, of Huddersfield, is charged with two counts of rape of a female over 16 years old.



• Mohammed Dogar, 35, of Huddersfield, is charged with two counts of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.



• Banaris Hussain, 35, of Huddersfield, is charged with one count of rape of a girl aged 13-15.

• Shaqeel Hussain, 35, of Dewsbury, is charged with rape of a female aged 13-15 and two counts of trafficking.

• Mohammed Waqas Anwar, 28, of Huddersfield, is charged with five counts of rape of a female aged 13-15.

• Saqib Raheel, 32, of Cradley Heath, West Midlands, is charged with two counts of rape.

• A man who cannot be named for legal reasons is charged with

one count of rape and one of sexual touching of a female.

