Telegraph, May 18, 2015

Members of a “horrifying” child sex ring abused two schoolgirls, taking advantage of their vulnerability on a “massive scale”, a court has heard.

One girl, who was aged 12 or 13 at the time, alleges that throughout the period she was abused, she was passed between 60 men who had sex with her Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Eleven men are on trial accused of committing sexual offences against the youngsters, who had allegedly been conditioned into believing that what they were being subjected to was “normal”.

Jurors at the Old Bailey have heard how both girls came from troubled backgrounds and wanted to feel grown up when they were taken in by the men. The defendants deny a total of 49 offences said to have been committed between 2006 and 2012.

They included the multiple rape of a child under 13, child prostitution and administering a substance to “stupefy” a girl in order to engage in sexual activity.

In all, 45 charges relate to one child who cannot be identified for legal reasons and is known as “A”, and four against a second girl, referred to as “B”.

Opening the case, prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC, said: “This case concerns child sexual exploitation on a massive scale. It features two young girls who were employed and sexually abused from the age of 12 or 13.”

He continued: “Both girls were from unstable backgrounds, making perfect targets. Their lives were ‘off the rails’. They were looking for excitement, for attention. For somewhere to hang out, away from school and home.

“They were wanting to feel grown up. And looked after. And they were easy prey for a group of men wanting casual sexual gratification that was easy, regular and readily available.”

The court heard that one of the girls, known only as A, was abused to a greater degree than the other, known only as B. Jurors were told that both girls were befriended and showered with inexpensive gifts such as alcohol, DVDs, food, and occasionally drugs.

Mr Saxby said: “They were being conditioned, exploited. Their trust was being established. And then they were sexually abused.”

He added that at the time the girls’ ideas of what was right had been “completely distorted”, and that they thought what was happening was “normal” and “natural”.

“Notwithstanding that they were children, they spoke in terms of these men being their boyfriends. And they were passed from man to man–sometimes on a daily basis. The scale of it is, you may agree, horrifying. A estimated that she had sex with about 60 men, almost all Asian.”

The 11 men on trial are accused of being among the men who abused the schoolgirls. Each allegedly acted with “total disregard of the law and the legal prohibition on the sexual abuse of children”.

They lived in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, where the abuse occurred, and some were friends, the jury heard.

The court was also told that some of the men were married and had children, with some working in the market and a few working as taxi drivers. Each of the men sexually allegedly abused A, while two are said to have molested B.

In one statement, A told police: “You get passed round . . . It wasn’t particularly me looking for them. It was them looking for me. It’s just that they pass your number around . . . Or you’re with one of them and they invited three or four of their friends round and then you have to sleep with them.

“Because you’re in their place and they’re making your life a bit more exciting, so you do what they want.”

She added that she thought the men found her attractive, and was happy to be wanted, knowing that “Asian men” wanted to sleep with her.

Vikram Singh, 45, of Aylesbury, is charged with four counts of rape, four counts of sexual activity with a child, and one of administering a substance with intent.

Harmohan Nangpal, 41, Hayes, is accused of one count of rape, and one count of sexual activity with a child.

Asif Hussain, 33, of Milton Keynes, face three counts of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of arranging child prostitution.

Arshad Jani, 33, of Aylesbury, denies one count of rape, and a further count of sexual activity with a child.

Mohammed Imran, 38, of Bradford, is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child, two counts of conspiracy to rape and one count of child prostitution.

Akbari Khan, 36, of Aylesbury, denies two counts of rape, one count of of sexual activity with a child, and one each of administering a substance with intent, conspiracy to rape, and conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child.

Taimoor Khan, 29, of Aylesbury, is charged with one count of rape, one count of sexual activity with a child, one count of conspiracy to rape, and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child.

Jerome Joe, 35, of Buckingham, is charged with one count of rape and a single count of sexual activity with a child.

Sajad Ali, 34, of Chesham, is charged with rape, sexual activity with a child and administering a substance.

Sohail Qamar, 41, of Aylesbury, is accused of sexual activity with a child, two counts of rape, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Faisal Iqbal, 32, of Aylesbury, is on trial accused of conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child.

The men filled the dock in court, some of them using the services of various interpreters speaking Hindi, Urdu, Pashto and Punjabi.