Bradford grooming trial: Ten men accused of abusing girls in care Published duration 8 January 2019

image copyright Phil Champion / Geograph image caption The trial is taking place at Bradford Crown Court

Ten men have gone on trial accused of grooming and sexually abusing two teenage girls in care.

The alleged abuse is said to have begun in 2008 when both girls were 14 and living in a Bradford children's home.

Prosecutor Kama Melly QC told Bradford Crown Court the men used threats, violence, drink and drugs to sexually exploit the girls.

The men deny a total of 25 offences, including allegations of rape and inciting child prostitution.

Ms Melly said the men had "exploited and manipulated" the two girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

She said: "They did so in a variety of ways, taking advantage of their youth and the situation [the girls] found themselves in, both just entering care and in really difficult circumstances.

"Some of the defendants were actually forceful, threatening and violent, others used alcohol and drugs, others created a manipulated relationship in order to facilitate their sexual exploitation.

"But all defendants, say the Crown, engaged in cynical and manipulative behaviour in order to achieve their objective of sexual activity with [the girls]."

The court heard the allegations came to light in 2014 when one of the two alleged victims saw a report on the grooming and sexual abuse of hundreds of young girls in Rotherham.

The woman had asked her then partner to contact BBC Look North to say that similar abuse was happening elsewhere.

The court heard the BBC "quite properly" notified police of the allegations and officers began investigating her claims.

The trial continues.

The defendants are:

Basharat Khaliq, 38, of Bradford, is charged with five counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration

Saeed Akhtar, 55, of Bradford, is charged with two counts of inciting child prostitution and one count of rape

Yasar Majid, 37, of Milton Keynes, is charged with one count of rape

Naveed Akhtar, 43, of Bradford, is charged with three counts of rape

Parvaze Ahmed 36, of Bradford, is charged with three counts of rape

Izar Hussain, 32, of Bradford, is charged with three counts of rape and one count of attempted rape

Zeeshan Ali, 32, of Bradford, is charged with one count of sexual assault

Kieran Harris, 28, of Dewsbury, is charged with two counts of rape

Faheem Iqbal, 27, of no fixed abode, is charged with aiding and abetting rape