Sex case accused's defence to begin

The defence case of a man accused of being part of a child sexual exploitation ring in Rochdale is due to begin.

Eleven men are on trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children under the age of 16.

The prosecution say they plied girls as young as 13 with drink and drugs so they could "pass them around" and use them for sex.

Five girls from broken homes are said to have been "shared" by Kabeer Hassan, Abdul Aziz, Abdul Rauf, Mohammed Sajid, Adil Khan, Abdul Qayyum, Mohammed Amin, Qamar Shahzad, Liaquat Shah, Hamid Safi and a 59-year-old man who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The prosecution's case concluded on Monday after almost five weeks. The defence case for the 59-year-old man is now expected to start on Tuesday.

The court heard that some of the girls were raped and physically assaulted and one was forced to have sex with "several men in a day, several times a week".

The girls - aged between 13 and 15 - were given alcohol, food and money in return for sex but that there were times when violence was used, the prosecution allege.

The offences are said to have happened in and around Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in 2008 and 2009.

Hassan, 25, Aziz, 41, Rauf, 43, Sajid, 35, Khan, 42, Qayyum, 43, Amin, 44, Shahzad, 29, Shah, 41, and Safi, 22, all deny the charges and are all from the Rochdale and Oldham areas of Greater Manchester.